Why the Bells Chimed

Raymond MacDonald Alden's short story, “Why the Chimes Rang,” tells the legend of long ago when, on Christmas Eve, it was the custom for all the people to bring to the church their offerings to the Christ Child. And there had been a time when an unusual offering brought magnificent music from the chimes which were rung, everyone believed, by the angels. But lately, no offering had been great enough ... that is until young, poor boy makes his first pilgrimage through the snow to give his simple gift. Now this classic tale of faith, family, and sacrifice is woven into the life of a current-day Christian family spending its first Christmas apart. With Mother as a narrator, current day resolves into the past as Father, young Angela, and her older brother Peter enact the age-old story. The play reminds us all that Christmas is first and foremost about love, and that the best gift we can give to the Christ child is the gift of ourselves.