Getting in the Christmas Spirit

Courtesy of some of my favorite authors!

From Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling:

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from the insides of helmets of suits of armour and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, Harry’s frequent night-time wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle’s passageways, so that he was able, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes.

From Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty:

Wishing You A Merry Xmas

‘Tis the season
For fireproof evergreens
Covered in pine-scented
Aerosol snow

Hip-hop carols
Performed by prepackaged teen divas
Backed by one-man synthesizer orchestras
Drunken Santa Clauses for
Every gas station
And the latest in nativity scene technology
“Hear the baby Jesus cry!”
Do genuine kisses exist
in world of plastic mistletoe?
Merry xmas ‘00

From How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss:

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 'till 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?