“The Christmas spirit whispers softly in my ear to be of good cheer.” ~
Good Sunday morning, dear friends. As I write this, Christmas is one week away. Where have the days gone? We are ready for Christmas to arrive in all her magic and glory. I hope you are too and that this finds you in “good cheer.”
This post will be short as I plan to see you again either Monday or Tuesday. You may or may not remember, but I promised you a recipe before Christmas and I want to send it so you may have time to prepare it if you desire. That said, I am sharing a favorite poem which later became a Christmas carol. It was written on Christmas day, 1863, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The ringing of church bells, off in a distance, was Longfellow’s inspiration for the poem. The poem was set to music in 1872.
Christmas Bells ~ By, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will 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, 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!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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.”
Dear friends, I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Know how much I appreciate you and your kind comments. I have many Christmas wishes for you, but mostly. . .
“I wish the wonderful feelings of Christmas will stay with you long after the gifts are unwrapped, the tree is taken down, and the ornaments are safely stored away. May the once-a-year joy of Christmas return to you in memories throughout the year, each time tugging at your heart strings. . .each time bringing you joy.” ~ Stay Well!
Joyeux Noel,
Sandra
The ending quote is from a Christmas card I received too many years ago.
Images: Tumblr
Lovely Christmas time thoughts, Sandra. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day has such beautiful words. I wish for you and yours a most heartwarming and special celebration of Christmas. Thank you for all your wonderful posts.
I read another article this very morning about the poem by Longfellow. It was very interesting.
Lovely photos and sentiment. Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas, dear Sandra.
Merry Christmas, Sandra!
Good morning, Sandra! Such a beautiful post for this Christmas week. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Longfellow’s childhood home in Portland, Maine and Cape Elizabeth where he wrote many of his poems. I really enjoyed my visit. I look forward to your recipe. Merry Christmas, sweet friend!
Mi querida amiga, estoy muy contenta de que ya se haya solucionado el tema de poder comunicarme contigo…y pensar que el detalle estaba en que tenía puesta la traducción al español!!! no me puedo creer que ese detalle nos haya distanciado…
Bueno, la navidad está llamando a la puerta. Yo estaré en Granada, al sur de ESpaña, donde vive mi hija menor Leticia. Luego para el día de Reyes lo celebraremos en Mi casa de Madrid.
Este post es muy hermoso, las citas son muy interesantes. Te deseo a tí y a tu esposo unas Navidades hermosas, alegres y bellas…
Con amor, Dolores
My dear friend, I am very happy that the issue of being able to communicate with you has already been resolved … and to think that the detail was in which I had the translation into Spanish !!! I can’t believe that detail has distanced us …
Well, Christmas is knocking on the door. I will be in Granada, in the south of Spain, where my youngest daughter Leticia lives. Then for Three Kings Day we will celebrate it at My house in Madrid.
This post is very beautiful, the quotes are very interesting. I wish you and your husband a beautiful, happy and beautiful Christmas …
With love, Dolores
Beautiful post and one of my favorite songs! Happy week ahead!
How very lovely in every way. Wishing you much joy this Christmas week!
Sandra, that is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Thank you for sharing for all to read its beautiful words. Wishing you and Michael a joy-filled Christmas week ♥️