What does Christmas mean to you? Overindulging? Panic-buying? Or feeling warm and fuzzy as that Christmas spirit fills you up? Who doesn’t love that feeling of excitement at the sight of that first (or fifth) mince pie? And the knowledge that, however this year played out for you, you can make next year even better.
But really, all you need is a little love and inspiration from your favourite London theatre shows. So without any further ado, let’s get Christmassy!
1. “When a room is gloomy and its atmosphere has called it quits
You gotta remember that December is the time for glitz
Never stop til’ ev’ry limb on your Christmas tree
is Sparklejollytwinklejingley” – Elf The Musical
We dare you to say ‘sparklejollytwinklejingley’ quickly after a few mulled wines…
Ben Forster and the West End cast of Elf (Photo: Alastair Muir)
2. “And where the journey may lead you,
Let this prayer be your guide
Though it may take you so far away
Always remember your pride.” – Disney’s Lion King
Whether you’re far from family this year, or are on a journey of your own, Christmas is a perfect time to reconnect with your Pride. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
3. “Come on, let’s have a little dance. Everything feels better after a dance.” – Home, I’m Darling
And you know what, they’re right. Christmas is for dancing and merriment…. unless you hate dancing and merriment, in which case this is probably not the best quote for you.
4. “Give yourself permission to shine.” – Matilda The Musical
If you can outshine your own Christmas tree, you’re not just winning at Christmas … you’re winning at life. (I know, right? Deep.)
Matilda The Musical at Cambridge Theatre (Photo: Manuel Harlan)
5. “Sometimes you’ve gotta grab life by the balls… then you take those balls, you tuck ’em between your legs and you put your best frock on!” – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Make sure that this year, the frock you wear to the Christmas party is amazing and shows the world that you mean business. “Yes, Cheryl, of course these are ethically sourced diamonds. I’m not a monster.”
Jamie and Margaret Campbell on the Olivier Awards 2018 with Mastercard red carpet (Photo: Pamela Raith)
6. “Do you hear the people sing,
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again.
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating the beating of the drums,
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!” – Les Misérables
Sing this with friends and you have the power to take on the world. Or at least, Auntie Deborah who keeps giving you socks every Christmas…
7. “Ain’t it great to know somebody’s got your back?” – Disney’s Aladdin
Christmas is a great time to tell your loved ones that you’ve got their back. And you never know, someone’s got yours too. Everyone loves everyone’s back!
8. “Just be who you wanna be, celebrate yourself triumphantly.” – Kinky Boots
Christmas is not just about being with family and friends, but about celebrating you and all your fabulousness. Yes, that’s a word now.
9. “All the other children at my school are stupid. Except I’m not meant to call them stupid, even though this is what they are.” – The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Yep, hate to say it bit some people don’t actually enjoy Christmas. (I know, it’s madness!) This one’s for the Scrooges out there.
Joshua Jenkins in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)
10. “Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.” – Hamilton
I mean, okay, so Christmas isn’t always perfect. This Christmas you might not get to see all the friends you’ve missed, and you can’t always buy all the presents you want, and your Christmas tree might not always look like the ones you see on Pinterest BUT, apart from that, you’re actually doing okay!
11. “Scrooge: And so.
Tim: ‘God bless.’
Scrooge: God bless us?
Tim: Every one.” – A Christmas Carol (at The Old Vic and at The Arts Theatre)
It’s a classic and we had to quote this – it wouldn’t be Christmas without it! (Cue warm and fuzzy feelings.)
Who knew that London musicals and plays could be filled with so many inspirational and feel-good quotes? If you love theatre as much as we do, you actually probably already knew that – so you know what to do next…