My mother decided to start an annual Christmas ornament tradition during my parents’ second Christmas together as a married couple in 1988. “I chose to begin a bell ornament collection because of how traditional bells are and because of my love for the song,” my mother said. “I wanted my children to have a collection of ornaments signifying their age. I thought it would be wonderful for them to be able to take the ornaments into their own homes when they got married, so we could always share Christmas.” My father also looks forward to passing his own silver bells down to my sister, me, and even his grandchildren one day. “These ornaments create continuity in a family through the celebration of Christmas,” my father explained. “So one day, great grandchildren might be hanging those bells on their Christmas tree, when I am not here. Think how neat it would be to have an ornament your great grandmother used 100 years ago.”
