History of Christmas Bells

When you think of Christmas, or other Winter Holidays, bells seem to play a big part in a lot of them. Just listening to carols you often hear of bells...

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day..."
"Silver Bells"
"Just hear those sleigh bells..."
"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells..."
And so on....

But where did the use of bells during the holiday season come from?

Bells were originally used to ward off evil spirits during the fall and winter months. It was believed that loud noises would scare the spirits away.

Gradually these same bells started to be used to announce celebrations and to keep evil spirits from ruining good times. And slowly the use for keeping away spirits began to fade. Bells began to be seen as a lovely instrument brought out for joyous occasions, such as weddings and births. They also have a beautiful sound, so carolers who couldn't afford instruments began to use bells when they went singing.

Like many sleighs of the time, Santa's sleigh had bells on it as well. Bells were used on sleighs to warn people that someone was coming through during foul weather. This way they could stay out of the road and be ran over by the horse and coach or sleigh (if the weather was snowy).

So have a little holiday tradition and gather up a few various bells and use them in your decor as a little nod to the long history of the bell.

Turkeys and Bells

For the people that keep turkeys, they probably already know that there is a such thing as a turkey bell. But for the rest of us, I thought I would share that little fact.

A turkey bell is very similar to a cow bell. It is worn by the turkey around its neck and it lets you hear where your turkey is, especially if you allow your turkeys to wander. This will help you find them if they wander off. But there is an added advantage to having a bell on your turkey. Strange noises tend to keep predators away. And a the noise a bell makes is not one that is typically found in natural surroundings. So by having a bell on your turkey you are helping to keep the predators at bay.

Some people use the turkey bell on other small animals, around a cat or dog's collar, or just to have as a novelty item or to use in crafts.

Christmas Cowbell Craft

We revisited Create Bake Play's website and found a very neat craft for Christmas using white cowbells and regular cowbells. Without further ado here is a craft for you try out:

Photo from Create Bake Play.

Santa Bell

You will need: 

• different size cowbells (and different colors if you prefer)
• orange, pink, and red pompoms
• googly eyes
• red lipstick
• black and red permanent markers
• cotton balls
• brown, black, red ,and white pieces of felt 
• peach acrylic paint 
• white acrylic paint (optional)

For Santa Bell:

1. Start with a white cowbell. Or paint one white. (if you paint one you will need to wait for the base coat to dry before going onto step 2.)
2. Paint on the section of the bell that will be the face with the peach acrylic paint.
3. Place and glue one your googly eyes and the pompom for the nose.
4. Using the permanent markers, draw on glasses and mouth (use photo for guideline if you need to).
5. Cut some of your white felt into a mustache shape for Santa and glue on.
6. Using the lipstick create some blushing cheeks for Santa.
7. Glue some cotton balls around the top of the Santa Bell.
8. Cut some red felt into a cone shape for his hat and attach the cone to the cotton balls with glue.
9. Use a small cotton ball or white pompom for the top of Santa's Hat.

For instructions on creating the other two Christmas bell crafts visit: http://create-bake-play.com/Jolly-Cowbells.htm

How to Personalize Your Own Cowbell

We sell customized bells, but sometimes you just want to do it yourself, so that it has more meaning and so that each bell you personalize can be slightly different. While browsing the internet we found a craft on personalized bells at: http://create-bake-play.com/Personalized-Cowbells.htm

With permission we are sharing this bell craft here:

You will need:
- cowbells of your choice in color and size
- scrapbooking stickers/labels
- adhesive

There is no better way to say that you care than if your gift looks well-thought out. These simple gifts will do just that!

Simply find a cowbell that fits with what you’re looking for, and use anytime of sticker, scrapbooking adhesive, or label that will fit onto the cowbell of your choice. You can even simply print a logo (perhaps a good gift for a high-school or college grad) out onto white paper and trim it up to fit your bell. It’s that simple!