"Christmas touches us all in a very special and wonderful way, reminding us of those precious feelings God blessed us with: compassion for others, understanding, family closeness, and the joy we feel when we reach into out hearts to give the most precious gift of all - our love." Michael Landon

"Christmas is giving not only presents, but giving yourself and your deepest emotions and inner feelings. It is saying, in effect: 'I love you and want you to be as happy as I am.' It is saying: 'I want to help you, because your happiness makes my existence worthwhile." Michael Landon.

"Nothing makes Christmas happier than sharing it with kids." Michael Landon.

"I'll always feel that one of the most important meanings of Christmas is family. When I was a kid - being Jewish - we celebrated Christmas as a family holiday rather than a religious holiday." Michael Landon.

"Christmas Eve is a time I hold dear in my heart. I particularly cherish the night that Shawna and Christopher looked disturbed when my wife Lynn and I sent them off to bed. When I asked them what was wrong, they both told me it was because there was a fire in the fireplace. 'Santa will get burned when he comes down the chimney,' they blurted out. I hugged them both close to me and had to fight back the tears that struggled to come from my eyes. I promised them I would go right to the fireplace and put out the fire so Santa  wouldn't be hurt when he arrived. And that's exactly what I did." Michael Landon.

"I not only have my family at home, but I also have my 'family' in 'Little House on the Prairie.' And I get to share Christmas with them too. About a week before Christmas we all bring food and goodies for our party, and around noon we call a halt to filming and gather for our celebration. We also exchange gifts and the presents the cast and crew have presented me have been just beautiful. One year they all chipped in and commissioned an artist to make a metal sculpture of the Little House. Several years ago they actually bought me a car. The most important thing they were giving was their love. It's the most wonderful thing in the world to know that someone really cares for you and goes out of their way to do something for you, because that's the true spirit of Christmas - people caring for one another and sharing their love." Michael Landon.

 

"For many years Christmas Eve was a time for adults at my house. The children would go to bed after placing the milk and cookies on the hearth for Santa, and the grown-ups would open their gifts and begin to assemble the 7,000-piece dollhouse that's always a piece short. That all changed a few years ago. My wife became involved with a facility that takes care of battered and abandoned children, wards of the court; children whose pain is heightened at Christmastime by the knowledge that other children are with their families. We now join these children on Christmas Eve with presents for all and moments of laughter and tears. Our own children join us in this wonderful time and gain a great deal from it. Being able to share with others has given Christmas a new meaning to my family. Long after the Christmas tree lights have been returned to the storeroom, the faces of these children will continue to burn brightly in our hearts." Michael Landon, 1990.