Day 16 of Quotes - The Animals of Christmas

They're there for all to see, but so few notice.

Today, here are 16 quotes relating to animals, the silent stars of the Christmas story (with some stories of their own!).

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

St Francis of Assisi

Among the asses (stubborn I as they)
I see my Saviour where I looked for hay;

C.S. Lewis

The simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their lamb;

Fulton J. Sheen

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes

Martin Luther

A barn with cattle and horses is the place to begin Christmas; after all, that's where the original event happened, and that same smell was the first air that the Christ Child breathed.

Paul Engle

Suddenly the door of the church swung wide, and up the aisle came, of all things, a little burro, soggy and wet and covered with mud.

Eric P. Keely

On every branch of the little fir-tree candles wavered their tongues of flame. Little red and gold fruits hung from the tips of the boughs. On the ground under the branches were bowls of hazel nuts, round loaves of barley bread, piles of wheaten cakes, small sacks of corn, and platters of berries. There were jars of honey, as big as thimbles, and bottles of heather-ale, as big as acorns. Icicles and hailstones shone like diamonds among the branches, brightly coloured feathers and shells were fastened to the bark, and chains of frozen water-drops swung to and fro, reflecting the candle-light.

Alison Utterly (from Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas)

'It's Robin Redbreast,' thought the old man. 'There he is, right up on the holly bush. He's singing for me, and he shall share my meal!'

Mrs Gatty

It was a sledge, and it was reindeer with bells on their harness.

C.S.Lewis

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,

Clement Clarke Moore

Thus every beast by some good spell,
In the stable dark was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Emmanuel

Traditional

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Christina Rossetti

Quite some way away, under an enormous oak tree in a big forest, was a rabbit burrow. The burrow was full of life.

Ulf Stark and Eva Eriksson

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,

Thomas Hardy

So the soldiers passed on, and left the holy family in peace because a little spider had spun his web across the entrance to the cave.

William Barclay

Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.

C.S. Lewis