Fun with Christmas Bells: Feature Article
"Jingle Bells", "Silver Bells", and many other Christmas songs focus on bells. Bells have been associated with Christmas for a long time. Originally bells were used to ward away evil spirits. Years ago people thought that evil spirits overtook the earth during the winter months. These evil spirits would come out in the winter and harm people. When the fall season approached, many people would participate in ceremonies that would ward away evil spirits and keep bad things from happening to them. Bells later became a sound of happiness and were carried over into the celebration of Christmas.
Most churches had a large bell or several bells that would ring when something important happened. The celebration of Christmas is to recognize the birth of Jesus Christ. Bells are also rung to start the service of church. In the Catholic and Anglican churches, the church day begins at sunset and the first service of the day will start after sunset. The Catholic Church will also hold mass at midnight on Christmas. In some catholic churches, the bells will be rung at the hour before midnight on Christmas Eve and at midnight.
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Christmas Bells Crafts
There are many things you can do with Christmas Bells to make them part of your holiday celebration. Here are some Christmas Bells crafts ideas to help you get started:
Helpful Resources: Church and Christmas Bells This article discusses Christmas Bells and why they have become a large symbol of Christmas. It talks about how the Church bells became incorporated into Christmas and why it is so popular. Symbol of Christmas Bells History of the Christmas Bell Family Crafts Christmas Bells Object Lesson Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments Christmas Crafts Decorating Your Home |
Terracotta Christmas Bells
This is a fun Christmas Bell craft that is cheap and easy to make. You will need two 3 inch Terracotta pots and some gold acrylic paint. Craft stores will also sell cord that can be used to hang the bells so you will need some cord too. You will also need to purchase varnish and large beads.
Once you have all the supplies, you will need to wash and dry the terracotta pot. Paint the pot a base color like green, white, red, or gold. Then use some cord and tie a knot in one end. Thread on one bead and tie a second knot an inch higher than the first bead. Now, thread the cord through the drainage hole and into the bottom of the pot. The beads will hang on the inside of the bell, one bead being the clangor and the other bead stops the cord from slipping through the hole.
After you have the cord threaded through, tie a third bead on so it will hide the drainage hole from the top view. Now, cut the cord to the hanging length you desire and tie a loop in the cord for a hanger.
Christmas Cup Bell
Another fun Christmas bell craft is the make a Christmas cup bell. With a few Communion cups, acrylic paint, string, small jingle bells, drinking straws, and craft glue, you can make some fun, festive bells. You will need to paint each communion cup with 2 coats of white paint and allow it to dry. Once the cups have dried, feel free to decorate them however you desire. Holly leaves with berries, Santa Claus with reindeer, or a Christmas tree is a cute way to decorate your bell. Once the cup has properly dried, thread a 2-inch long string through the top of a jingle bell and use a hot glue gun or craft glue to glue it inside the top of the cup. The jingle bell inside the large cup bell should touch the inside rim of the bell. Now, cut off one inch of drinking straw and glue it to the top of the bell using the glue. This is an easy way to make a cute Christmas Bell.
Christmas Bell Ornament
A salt dough ornament is an easy Christmas Bells craft to make and can be passed out to friends and family or it can adorn your Christmas tree. Here are the ingredients you will need to make a salt dough ornament:
- ½ cup salt
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup water
- Rolling pin
- Cookie sheet
- Toothpick
- Bell-shaped cookie cutter
- Various acrylic paint colors
- Glitter glue or glitter paint
- ribbon
Start by preheating your oven to 250 degrees. Mix the salt, flour, and water together. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic. More flour will help the dough loose its stickiness. Now, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick and use a bell-shaped cookie cutter to create the ornament. Using a toothpick, poke a hole in the top of the bell that is large enough to pull a piece of string through. Place all the bells in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Remove the bells from the oven and allow them to cool. Once they have completely cooled you can paint them yellow, silver, or any color you want. Using the glitter glue or glitter paint, you will place a thin layer over the bell to give it an accent. Once the bells have dried, pull a piece of ribbon through them and tie it off. The bells can be hung on a Christmas tree or they can be tied to gift packages. These Christmas Bell ornaments are a great gift to pass along to friends, family members, and neighbors!
Games using Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells have long been associated with Christmas. The cheerful sound a bell makes brings a reminder to someone that something important is happening. Bells are often rung in churches after a wedding or before services. Bells are a great way to announce an important event to people who live far away. It is no wonder that Christmas Bells have been incorporated into the holiday with huge success. Several holiday songs tote the lyrics of Christmas Bells. During the holiday time, there are several people who sing carols and most of the songs include a lyric about bells. Some of the popular Christmas songs you can sing include: "Jingle Bells", "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", "Christmas Bells are ringing", "Silver Bells", "Carol of the Bells" and "Come on, Ring those Bells." Caroling is a fun activity to involve several people and celebrate the holiday season. Some other fun Christmas Games are as follows:
Ring those Bells Game
A fun game to play at Christmas time is "Ring those Bells". This game requires hand bells or various bells that provide different pitches and come in different shapes. You will also need some sleigh bells, a blindfold, and some string. Now, you will tie a small sleigh bell onto everyone's ankle. Find a large open room where people won't bump into objects. Select one person to blindfold and give them a large hand bell. Have the blindfolded person stand in the middle of the room and ring the bell. Each time the person in the middle of the room rings the large bell, everyone else must shake the bells attached to their ankles. The object of the game is to have the blindfolded person try and catch someone who rings the bell on the ankle when they ring the large bell. If the blindfolded individual can tag another person, they become the next blindfolded person.
Jingle Bell Lineup
Give everyone in the room a hand bell that makes a different noise. Now, blindfold everyone in the room and have each person ring the bell individually. The object of the game is to lineup the bells in according to their pitch. Since the individuals are all blindfolded, it will be harder to distinguish where the starting bell point is and the ending bell point is. To make the game more challenging, you can use a stopwatch and only give each person a few seconds to get into the lineup.
Bell on a String
Here is another fun Christmas Bell game. Use a piece of string that is long enough for everyone in the group to take hold of. Everyone will grasp the string with both hands and leave a little slack between each person. Pull the string through 2 sleigh bells and tie the ends of the string together. The knot of the string should easily slide through the hole in the top of the sleigh bell. The sleigh bells need to be small enough to be hidden in your fist. Select one individual and tell them to close their eyes and count to 10 aloud. All the other players on the string will them pass the bells from player to player on the string. Once the person has reached the number 10, they must guess who is holding the bell. Each person must let go of the string to indicate if they have the bell or not when the person calls their name. If the person calling names is wrong, they must again close their eyes and count to 10 as the other players pass the bell around the circle. If the person calling names "catches" someone with a bell, this person is out and must let go of the string while the other player continues to find other individuals who have the bells.
