An Ozark Journey: The Christmas Bell

The sights and sounds of Christmas are inspiring, to say the least. Behind each of these symbols is a story to be told. One that resonates in the Sayles household is that of the bell.

There is hardly a person today, young or old, who hasn’t heard the song “Carol of the Bells” or “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and thought of Christmas. From school bells to church bells and even household doorbells, these timeless devices have been popular around the world for centuries. At Christmastime, some kind of bell is often found hanging from the branch of a Christmas Tree.  

In Wisconsin, where I grew up, Christmas was very much a family affair. We always had a decorated tree. When my Great-Grandmother Rose passed away, my mother gave me a few of the ornaments that Rose had put on her tree every year. One of them was a red glass bell with multicolored horizontal bars. Somehow, I managed to keep those ornaments safe through a 20-year military career with a major move almost per year.

At Christmastime in 1981, while I was stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, my wife and I invited a co-worker and his wife, Doris, to our home for dinner. I had only met Doris briefly on one or two occasions prior to that. Her husband and I traveled together extensively on a Command Inspector General’s team and spent little time at home.

During our gathering, a conversation about Christmas ornaments arose, and Doris was very passionate about her “collection.” At the end of the evening, I took the red glass bell off of our tree and gave it to Doris.

Not long after that, I retired from the Air Force and moved back to Wisconsin. Each year after that, I would receive a Christmas card from Doris, keeping me up to date on children and life in general. That bell had created an unexpected but welcome bond.

Thirteen years later, both Doris and I were single again. When Christmas rolled around, I received the traditional card from Doris. I wrote back, thanking her for the card and the updates. I asked what she was doing those days. One letter led to another, then a visit, then visits.

We moved to Ozark County and were married here 23 years ago, on Aug. 9, 1997, at the home we had (almost) finished building with our own four hands. Up here on the cedar glade where we still live, 95 people from hither and yon gathered to celebrate with us. One couple came from France just for the event. Others came from coast to coast.

At one point, all 95 guests crowded onto our newly constructed deck to see the spectacular sunset. It was a good thing we had a solid foundation! 

One close friend who showed up was Dennis Kroh, who rose to fame as a lead guitarist in well-known rock bands including Triphammer. He brought his guitar and turned the normally quiet hills into a natural amphitheater. The sheriff’s office received a complaint from an unknown neighbor about the “noise” and sent a couple of officers to check.

When they drove up our driveway and asked what was going on, I explained that it was a wedding celebration. The deputy behind the wheel just smiled and told us to have a good time. 

Prior to the ceremony that afternoon, the Big Creek Band performed for our guests, and band member Ron Yarger sang a touching song for us during the ceremony itself—which was performed by the Rev. Jimmy Kyle under our outdoor arbor. It was memorable, to say the least. The festivities carried on well into the evening. 

One of the things Doris brought to our marriage was the red glass bell Christmas ornament I had given her 16 years earlier – one of my Great-Grandmother Rose’s ornaments that had been given to me by my mother more than 20 years before that. 

Since that night when I had given Doris the bell, all of my other ornaments from my great-grandmother had disappeared. Today I marvel at the wisdom I showed so long ago in giving Doris that bell! It now has a permanent place of glory, front and center on our tree. 

But that’s not the only role the bell has played in our lives together. Doris’ collection of ornaments, including the bell, continued to grow over the years, and it eventually became obvious that she might enjoy converting that hobby into a retail business. That step happened to coincide with the retirement of local real estate broker Jean Blisard, and we purchased her building on the southwest corner of the square. From that facility, Doris now sells Christmas ornaments in the “Christmas Corner” as well as gifts and collectibles in her “House of Angels” and “Critter’s Corner.” 

If not for the bell, none of what Doris and I enjoy together today would have materialized as it did. Little things that we take for granted in our lives may have neither immediate nor obvious impact. But as the years pass, treasures like a little red bell can have life-changing significance.

Or maybe an Ozark Journey.