12 Toasts for the Holidays Instead of Cheers!

Suzanne Gray, who blogs at Roaming Arts , shares toasts old and new to add some variety to your holiday festivities.

If “cheers!” is the only toast in your glass-raising repertoire, you might think about branching out this season.

Toasting used to be a significant part of getting together with friends. It was something you’d memorize and practice.

I know this because one of my husband’s old family cookbooks, hand-written and dating back to 1907, starts out with dozens of toasts. It’s clear from that book that the toast was as much a part of the gathering as the food.

Some of the ones from the family book are funny, some are sweet, and some have just the slightest edge to them. In a good way. Feel free to borrow them for your next event.

Not only is it festive to say a proper toast, I swear it makes the food taste better, especially if you say something in your toasts instead of cheers!

Here are six entries from the family book:

Love to one,
 friendship to a few, and good will to all.

Here’s to champagne

for our real friends

And real pain

to our sham friends.

May the hinges of friendship never get rusty.

My heart is as full as my glass

when I drink to you, old friend.

Here’s to the friends we love so well;

and to those so far away.

If a drink of cheer would bring thee here

I’d drink the livelong day.

Here’s to love and unity

dark corners and opportunity.

And here are six more contemporary ones making the rounds.

May we live to learn well,

and learn to live well.

Friendship is the wine of life.

Let’s drink of it and to it.

May we be happy and our enemies know it.

May fortune still be kind to you,

Happiness be true to you,

And life be long and good to you.

May we all live in pleasure and die out of debt.

Here’s to you. Here’s to we.

Best of friends we’ll always be.

And if by chance we disagree,

go to hell then, here’s to me!