One of my favorite things about the holidays is listening to all the many forms of music people create based on this time of year. As I was reflecting on some of the songs I’ve downloaded on my various technological devices, I noticed many carols that mention “bells” of some kind.  I know there are literary references of various sort that include bells, so now I’m kind of curious if I might like these songs because of some strange subconscious connections I’ve been making to the literary world. Nah, I probably just like the way the music sounds; or better yet, I like the words (I guess that’s literary too, though).  Truthfully, my favorite carol of all time — one that I have purchased in its many musical forms —  is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” which is based on the poem “Christmas Bells” written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  In fact, I caught myself singing along when I heard the tune play today; I was reminded that the song makes a good literary connection for this website, because of the link to Longfellow, one of America’s great poets. In addition, the words of the poem inspire me and make me think. If you don’t know the words, or the story behind them, take a quick look on the internet, I’m sure you will find something there.  Perhaps you will be inspired too. What other holiday songs do you find inspirational?  Do any of them have anything to do with bells?