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Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in Berlin on Dec. 13. TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images

Every year, Dec. 24 is celebrated as Christmas Eve. This day marks the culmination of the Advent period before Christmas, which starts on the fourth Sunday before this day.

Dec. 24 also marks the beginning of the holiday season, which leads up to the end of the year festivities. For many, it is a day to remember the events of Jesus' birth. Traditionally, the midnight mass marks the end of advent period and Christmas Eve, and marks the beginning of Christmas Day.

Here are some words of wisdom to bring happiness and cheer during the holidays. These inspirational quotes, compiled from Wise Old Sayings and Goodreads will surely bring alive the magic of Christmas.

  • “Its Christmas Eve! Its the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” – Bill Murray
  • “May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love.” – Ada V. Hendricks
  • “There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions.” – Bill McKibben
  • “Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” – Peg Bracken
  • “Christmas Eve, a perfect night to express affection for your family, to forgive those who failed you and to forget past mistakes.” – Unknown
  • “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” – Clement Clark Moore
  • “Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart...filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.” – Bess Streeter Aldrich
  • “Christmas Eve ought to be a very joyful evening to us in all its associations, in all the truths which it naturally brings to the soul.... A man's soul is to be as the heavens were on the night when the shepherds looked up and saw them full of angels as well as stars.” – Henry Ward Beecher
  • “Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.” – Eric Sevareid
  • “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
  • “A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” – Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home
  • “When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.” – Bob Hope
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