There Are Many Ways To Celebrate Christmas Eve,

but for a different one,

how about going to listen to the bell of Dewsbury parish church which is tolled once for each year of the Christian era, to remind the devil of his defeat, now with over 2000 tolls each year it's a cacophonous local call for Christmas cheer, this medieval tradition has a three-fold function in that the tolling keeps the devil away, evokes his defeat at the birth of Jesus Christ and reminds people of their salvation from the Devil through Jesus,


legend has it that the bell was donated long ago by a local murderer, one Tom of Soothill, to atone for his crimes, the bell, named after him, goes under the nickname of "Black Tom Soothill", I wonder if that is why bells are associated with Christmas, or was it those on Santa's sleigh?