12 of the best Christmas quotes from children’s books

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.'

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

'Believing is the only magic that makes the utterly impossible completely possible, and the undoubtedly undoable undeniably doable! And, of all the different kinds of beliefs there are, the belief of a child is by far the most unbelievably unstoppable.'

Doctor Who: Twelve Doctors of Christmas

'Christmas, the doctor realised, forces you to remember, the good times as well as bad. It was a time for family, wherever and whenever they might be. It wasn’t a time for giving up, but rather a time for hope.'

The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

'For the next few days, while it lightninged and thundered,
Jack sat alone and obsessively wondered.
"Why is it they get to spread laughter and cheer
While we stalk the graveyards, spreading panic and fear?
Well, I could be Santa, and I could spread cheer!
Why does he get to do it year after year?"'

Dogger’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes

'In the following days, Dave did not want to play with his new toys. Christmas was no good without Dogger.'

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg

'Once upon a Christmas Eve
Just after it had snowed,
The Jolly Postman (him again!)
Came down the jolly road;
And in the bag upon his back
An… interesting load.'

The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson

'"Christmas is a fine time, a fine time!" William, [a turkey], gobbled at Peter and Benjamin. "I am not sent to fetch suet or raisins! Mrs McGregor brings me such treats EVERY day! Nothing is too good! I am their honoured guest… for they say that on Christmas Day they are to have me for dinner!"'

The Empty Stocking by Richard Curtis

'And then, very, very, very quietly, so she didn’t wake up Sam… naughty Charlie started to move presents from her full stocking into Sam’s empty one.'

The Miracle on Ebenezer Street by Catherine Doyle

'The milk-bottle clouds were thick with the promise of snow. The air dusted with the scent of cinnamon.'

Hetty Feather's Christmas by Jacqueline Wilson

'I so, so, so wanted to know what was in my parcel. But if I opened it now, I’d have nothing else to look forward to at Christmas. Somehow the waiting and the wondering were part of the whole joy of receiving a precious present.'

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

'That was a very happy breakfast, though they didn't get any of it. And when they went away, leaving comfort behind, I think there were not in all the city four merrier people than the hungry little girls who gave away their breakfasts and contented themselves with bread and milk on Christmas morning.'

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

'I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!'