If December seems a blur of parking lots, bargain hunting and gift wrapping, here’s a bit of wit and wisdom, a Christmas card from us to you.

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

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

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

“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

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” — Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

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

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

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

“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

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” — Author unknown

“Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.” — Author unknown

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.” — Taylor Caldwell

“Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.” — Author unknown

“The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!” — Charles N. Barnard

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” — Agnes M. Pahro

“There are no strangers on Christmas Eve.” — Mildred Cram and Adele Comandini

“When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago, and etched on vacant places are half-forgotten faces of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“At Christmas-tide the open hand/ Scatters its bounty o’er sea and land/ And none are left to grieve alone/ For Love is heaven and claims its own.” — Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a Nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.” — Jay Leno

“Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.” — Kin Hubbard

“Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included.” — Author unknown

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” — Dr. Seuss

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.