Sentimental Journey by Jennifer Pollard
"I heard the bells on Christmas Day" I love reminiscing of days gone by with my clients and listening 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. And so it was as well for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) when he penned the poem "Christmas Bells," which later was put to music and became the beloved American Christmas tune, "I heard the bells on Christmas Day." In 1861, Longfellow's beloved wife, Fanny, died unexpectedly as a result of burns 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 1 11/5/14 1:37 PM andFN2015_outrchNC_horiz_d2.pdf despair to no longer have his beloved Fanny by his side. The
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following year, Longfellow's 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. 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.” Share your music memories with Pollard at jenniferp@aoscaremanagement.com.