100 Inspirational Holiday Quotes to Warm Your Heart This Christmas

Enjoy your Christmas break with these inspirational holiday quotes.

There’s something about the holidays that makes everyone a little more sentimental.

Maybe it’s the twinkly Christmas lights. Maybe it’s the third cup of hot cocoa. Maybe it’s the snowflakes dancing in the air outside.

Orrrr maybe it’s that the end of the year has a way of making you look around and realize how much the people in your life actually mean to you.

But here’s the thing: the right words can be weirdly hard to find, even when the feelings are huge.

That’s what a great quote does. It says the thing you feel in a way that just lands. In a card, on a gift tag, in a caption, or in a text to the friend who carried you through this year.

So I’ve rounded up 100 of the best holiday quotes, sorted by exactly what you need them for:

• Short ones for cards
• Heartfelt ones for family and friends
• Funny ones for the group chat
• Faith-filled ones
• A gentle few for anyone missing someone this year

Grab a cozy drink and find your favorites.

Inspirational Holiday Quotes

For when you want to remember what the season is really about.

1. “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” – Norman Vincent Peale

2. “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” – Calvin Coolidge

3. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens

4. “Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” – Charles M. Schulz

5. “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” – Hamilton Wright Mabie

6. “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” – Roy L. Smith

7. “Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.” – Edna Ferber

8. “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” – W.T. Ellis

9. “Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.” – Mary Ellen Chase

10. “Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” – Helen Steiner Rice

11. “Christmas, my child, is love in action.” – Dale Evans

12. “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.” – Thomas S. Monson

13. “Somehow, not only for Christmas, but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.” – John Greenleaf Whittier

14. “Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” – Oren Arnold

15. “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others.” – Bob Hope

Short Holiday Quotes for Christmas Cards

Short, sweet, and perfect for cards, gift tags, and Instagram captions.

16. Merry and bright, always.

17. Wishing you a season of peace, love, and cozy moments.

18. May your heart be light and your days be merry.

19. Joy to your world this Christmas.

20. Here’s to good food, good friends, and a whole lot of love.

21. Grateful for you this season and every season.

22. Sending warm hugs and holiday wishes your way.

23. May your home be filled with laughter this Christmas.

24. Peace, love, and plenty of cookies.

25. Believe in the magic of the season.

26. Wishing you a cozy Christmas and a bright new year.

27. You make the season sparkle.

28. “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” – Clement Clarke Moore

29. “God bless us, every one!” – Tiny Tim, A Christmas Carol

30. “At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.” – Thomas Tusser

Merry Christmas Quotes About Family

For the people who’ll steal your seat on the couch and your last slice of pie.

31. “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” – Burton Hillis

32. “At Christmas, all roads lead home.” – Marjorie Holmes

33. “Christmas is, of course, the time to be home—in heart as well as body.” – Garry Moore

34. “Christmas is the day that holds all time together.” – Alexander Smith

35. “Christmas is a time when you get homesick—even when you’re home.” – Carol Nelson

36. “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” – Anthony Brandt

37. “There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.” – Erma Bombeck

38. “Christmas is not an external event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.” – Freya Stark

39. “Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” – Peg Bracken

40. “‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.” – Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

41. Home is wherever we’re together at Christmas.

42. The best memories are made gathered around the table.

Christmas Quotes for Friends

For the friends who are basically family (and the ones who know all your secrets).

43. “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” – Elbert Hubbard

44. Friends are the family we choose, and I’d choose you every Christmas.

45. Merry Christmas to my partner in crime, snacks, and bad decisions.

46. The best gift this year was another year of friendship with you.

47. Thanks for making this year brighter. Merry Christmas, bestie!

48. Cheers to late-night talks, inside jokes, and another year of us.

49. You’re the tinsel to my tree.

50. Distance means nothing when someone means everything. Merry Christmas, friend.

Funny Christmas Quotes and Sayings

For the group chat, the office party, and anyone who’s had enough eggnog.

51. “Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” – Victor Borge

52. “Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.” – Kin Hubbard

53. “Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.” – Phyllis Diller

54. “Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.” – Johnny Carson

55. “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.” – Shirley Temple

56. “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” – Andy Rooney

57. “The one thing women don’t want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.” – Joan Rivers

58. Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money. – Unknown

59. Dear Santa, before I explain, how much do you already know?

60. Wrapping presents is my cardio.

Christian Christmas Quotes and Bible Verses

For celebrating the reason for the season. (Verses are from the King James Version.)

61. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11

62. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:14

63. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

64. “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” – Luke 2:10

65. “They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” – Matthew 1:23

66. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” – Matthew 2:10

67. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” – John 1:5

68. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” – 2 Corinthians 9:15

69. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” – James 1:17

70. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” – Romans 15:13

71. “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.” – Christina Rossetti

72. “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” – Phillips Brooks, O Little Town of Bethlehem

Classic Christmas Quotes From Literature

Timeless lines from the writers who basically invented the cozy Christmas.

73. “I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols play.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

74. “Heap on more wood!—the wind is chill; but let it whistle as it will, we’ll keep our Christmas merry still.” – Sir Walter Scott

75. “Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” – Washington Irving

76. “I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.” – Charles Dickens

77. “It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour.” – Charles Dickens

78. “The magic of the season lives in the smallest moments.” – Unknown

79. “Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” – Winston Churchill

80. Christmas is less about what’s under the tree and more about who’s around it.

Inspirational Holiday Quotes for Work

For coworkers, clients, team cards, and holiday emails.

81. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

82. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” – Melody Beattie

83. Thank you for being part of an amazing year. Happy holidays!

84. Wishing you rest, joy, and a well-deserved break this season.

85. Grateful to work alongside such wonderful people. Happy holidays to you and yours.

86. Here’s to celebrating this year’s wins and the adventures ahead.

87. Thank you for your trust and support this year. Wishing you a joyful season.

88. May your holidays be restful and your new year full of wins.

89. Cheers to teamwork, laughter, and a merry season!

Holiday Quotes for Missing Loved Ones

The holidays can be hard when someone you love isn’t here. These are for you.

90. “Grief is the price we pay for love.” – Queen Elizabeth II

91. “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller

92. “Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson

93. “The greatest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” – Thornton Wilder

94. “Remember me when I am gone away, gone far away into the silent land.” – Christina Rossetti

95. Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us every day. – Unknown

96. Your chair may be empty, but our hearts are full of you.

97. Some of the best parts of Christmas are the memories of who we shared it with.

98. Missing you is part of every holiday, and so is loving you.

Two Last Ones to Take Into the New Year

99. “Christmas is forever, not for just one day.” – Norman W. Brooks

100. May the magic of this season stay with you long after the lights come down.

Get Inspired By These Holiday Quotes

Christmas is about the people: the ones at your table, the ones on the other end of the phone, and the ones you’re carrying in your heart.

So pick a few favorites, write them in your cards, send them to the group chat, or keep one on your mirror all season.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, bestie!

More for the season:

• 20 Wholesome Things to Do Alone on Christmas Day
• Best Winter Books for the Cozy Season
• 99 Funny New Year Quotes and Sayings
• 89 Daily Affirmations for Women