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Silent Night
Every year my mom would add one or two new Christmas decorations to the house. When I was in 8th grade she came home with this ugly gold bell. It had so much glitter on it that if you touched it, your hands would be covered. The bell had a clapper that when pulled would play a tinny version of “Silent Night.” And it played forever – way more than the 6 verses of the song.
There was a hook in the ceiling by our back door that usually held a house plant. Mom took down the plant and proudly hung her bell. Every time one of us pulled the clapper “Silent Night” would play forever, and a little cloud of glitter would float to the floor.
When all the Christmas decorations were put away that year, somehow the bell was overlooked. I don’t remember who it was that first noticed it still hanging there, but it never occurred to us to take it down. Maybe the houseplant had died, or maybe we had just grown accustomed to it.
Every now and then, throughout that next year, someone would inevitably pull the clapper. “Silent Night” would play, glitter would float to the floor, and we would all laugh. In fact, it became such an ingrained family joke that the bell stayed up for far too many years – way past its prime. By then end, all the glitter was gone and “Silent Night” was only a few pitiful squeaks.
I have no idea where the bell is today, but if you come to my house you will see a starfish Christmas ornament hanging from my ceiling year round in its honor. And if you ever see me singing Silent Night, you’ll understand why I’m smiling.
Today’s story is by Jennifer Holsted, and here’s a favorite version of “Silent Night” from her childhood.
Jennifer Holsted has been at Fellowship North for 24 years. She loves the fact that so much of her life has been shaped by the people of Fellowship North. She rediscovered her faith here, met her husband and married him here, is raising a child here, is working a job she loves here, and is deeply loved here. You can find Jennifer online on Twitter and Instagram.