Christmas Bells and the Hope for Peace

My dad was a history buff, so I'm pretty sure my interest comes from him.  I always think of him at this time of year, since his birthday was the day after Christmas.  When I was a kid, we always put away all holiday decorations (except for the tree) on the morning of December 26th so we could have birthday balloons instead.  Apparently, my dad's birthday was never really celebrated when he was young because of its proximity to Christmas, and my mom wanted to make up for that.

If you're at all interested in history, and especially the way it applies and informs us today, don't miss the limited series Death by Lightning on Netflix, with fantastic performances by Michael Shannon, Nick Offerman, and English actor Matthew Macfadyen, who manages to sound convincingly like a Midwesterner.

Shannon portrays the reluctant 20th U.S. President James Garfield, a Civil War general and U.S. representative from Ohio, who was staunchly anti-slavery and pro-suffrage.  Perhaps if his tenure had not been cut short by an assassin's bullet, the Civil Rights era would have begun 80 years earlier than it finally did.

Can there be peace amid tragedy and war?

Thinking about this history-based series, the Civil War, and our current political climate reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas carols, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  It uses the text of a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1864, which he called "Christmas Bells."

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill 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, goodwill to men."

When I began to research what led Longfellow to write this poem, I discovered that not only was he a widower with six children, still in mourning over the accidental death of his wife, Fanny, a few years before, but that his 19-year-old son Charley had recently been shot and severely wounded during battle against the rebel army in Virginia.

The Christmas after his wife's death in 1861, Longfellow had written in his journal, "How inexpressibly sad are all holidays."  And in 1862:  "'A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."  I know that some of us have experienced those same feelings.  It's not hard to imagine what Longfellow was going through.

But he was also feeling the heaviness and sorrow brought on by the Civil War, which had torn apart a nation and caused the deaths and injuries of hundred of thousands of men, affecting households everywhere.  He wrote, "Every shell from the cannon's mouth bursts not only on the battlefield, but in far-away homes, North or South, carrying dismay and death."

During these trials, Longfellow clung to his Christian faith.  "I am at least patient, if not resigned," he wrote, "and thank God hourly – as I have from the beginning – for the beautiful life we led together...."  He didn't shy away from expressing his doubts, but in spite of personal tragedy and national strife, Longfellow penned lines that promise God's peace.

A new carol of faith and hope

"Christmas Bells" was soon set to music, and became a popular Christmas song within just a few years.  (Listen to a recording using the original tune, sung by Johnny Cash.)  In fact, it was often quoted and sung during both world wars, with the hope that peace, justice, and kindness would prevail.

Then in 1956, Johnny Marks, already famous for writing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," composed a new melody for Longfellow's timeless words, and Bing Crosby turned it into a hit.  This is the tune I grew up singing.  (Listen to a more recent performance by Sarah McLachlan.)  The poem is still inspiring composers, as you can hear in this recording by the band Casting Crowns, which uses a tune composed in 2008.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an esteemed figure in 19th century American culture, and his poetry has remained popular today.  With its mix of despair and hope, pain and resilience, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" definitely belongs on my playlist this year.

(By the way, there's a lovely new picture book of this carol available on Amazon.  And yes, if you purchase through my link, I earn a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

If you want more songs...

This is the eighth year I've written about holiday music.  If you'd like to read my previous posts on Christmas carols, use these links for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

I hope you and all of your dear ones are blessed this Christmas Day!