Sentimental Journey: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

By Jennifer Pollard

I love reminiscing of days gone by with my clients and listen to the stories of Christmas traditions that bring back memories of simpler times and smiles. One image shared with me from an octogenarian was of her small town in upstate New York. In the middle of town, the main churches had bell towers and on the hour, carols and hymns were played. As the snow crunched under their feet, her family would walk into town to pick out their Christmas tree. Something about the decorations in the shop windows, the cold frosty air, carols played by the church bells and mugs of hot cocoa by the fireplace at home was the perfect recipe for a holiday memory.

So it was as well for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) when he penned the poem, Christmas Bells, that later was put to music and became the beloved American Christmas tune, I heard the bells on Christmas Day. In 1861, his beloved wife, Fanny, died unexpectedly as a result of burn received in a fire. The following year, he wrote in his diary, “A ‘merry Christmas’ say the children, but that is no more for me.” The holidays became a time of grief and despair to no longer have his beloved Fanny by his side. The following year, his eldest son Charles, was wounded in the Civil War and suffered crippling injuries. During a time of personal loss and a country torn apart by war, the holidays did not feel joyous for Longfellow. However, on Christmas morning of 1864, the sound of the church bells stirred a renewed joy in him, inspiring the poem, “Christmas Bells.”

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

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, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

This beautiful carol provides the enduring concept that despite tragedy, loss and even warfare, there is within us the hope and wish for “peace on earth, good will to men.”

Pollard, a geriatric care manager, can be reached at jenniferp@aoscaremanagement.com.