Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
       – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We finally wrestled the Christmas boxes down from the attic, put the ornaments on the tree, the wreath on the front door and garlands around the front door frame, and now all over the house, little Christmas knick-knacks we have collected over the years grace window sills, the fireplace mantel, the coffee table, the dining room table and even the backs of the dining room chairs. And there are bells everywhere.  The picture above are the bells on our front door. I can’t sit down at the dining room table without ringing a bell. We even have little sleigh bells from a few Christmases ago that you can wear around your wrist. Bells to go.

Why are bells such an important part of Christmas? Sleigh bells — Jingle Bells — are probably the most recognizable sound of Christmas. Put the sound of jingling bells in anything and you immediately think of horses and reindeer, and Santa. Take a regular song and shake sleigh bells all through it and you suddenly have a Christmas song.

The other kinds of Christmas bells are the big bells — the ones in church towers and clock towers. These are the bells spoken of in Longfellow’s poem. They are the ones that peal out loud and deep and echo throughout the town proclaiming: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.” They refuse to stop their pealing for anything. They ring out hymns and Christmas carols at the end of the day, and when they really get excited, they ring out randomly as fast as you can pull the ropes in the belfry: Clang! Bang! Bong they go! They are a loud and joyful sound. They ring out hope, and victory, and peace. Think of the bells in the churches all over Europe at the end of both world wars, at least the ones that could still ring. Can’t you see the children ringing the bells that are so heavy they lift them up off the ground as they clang from side to side, and the children swing and bounce like marionettes on a string? It’s a picture of being carried away by joy. The big bell lifts you off the ground. Start ringing the bell and soon the bell rings you!

Joy to the world the Lord is come, bringing love, joy, peace, hope, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life … Ring! Ring them bells!

Ring them bells Sweet Martha,
For the poor man’s son
Ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one.
      – Bob Dylan