The Frosty Light

In It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey to perfection, a working class hero who is constantly putting others before himself, sacrificing his own dreams in the process. George’s heroism is not dramatic; it is not announced with trumpets and fanfares; it is not lavished with attention. Making sacrifices for the benefit of others, being stedfast and responsible, having good character—these are the everyday heroics that are proven to be priceless by the end of the film. NBC has aired this classic for as long as I can remember, the snowy streets of Bedford Falls connecting us warmly, near and far, on Christmas Eve.

Bells have a special significance in It's a Wonderful Life. Clarence the angel finally gets his wings when a bell on the Baileys’ Christmas tree rings. The film opens and closes with a large bell, at the beginning with the production company’s name (the short-lived Liberty Films), and also at the end, where we see the bell ringing while “Auld Lang Syne” is being sung. “Auld Lang Syne” traditionally reminds us of the ending of the current year and the beginning of the next.

This combination of bells and the New Year also brings to mind Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ring Out, Wild Bells” which is part of In Memoriam A. H. H., published in 1850. This passage also has a message of optimism amidst a work that was written out of a place of profound grief and questioning.  The first two stanzas are below. 

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
   The flying cloud, the frosty light:
   The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
   The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Another poem that incorporates bells is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Christmas Bells.” Longfellow wrote this poem in 1863 while the Civil War was raging in America. The last two stanzas are below.

And in despair I bowed my head; 
“There is no peace on earth," I said; 
    “For hate is strong, 
    And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
    The Wrong shall fail, 
    The Right prevail, 
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Running through these holiday-themed works is doubt, sadness, and desperation. Even though we may not be experiencing the exact same challenges as George Bailey, Tennyson, and Longfellow, we share the same reactions. But as all three works show, hope will always remain, if we have the courage to hold fast to it. 

In my design, I hung a bell on a branch of bittersweet in the snow. I chose bittersweet for its pretty red berries, but also as symbolism of the ending of Christmas and the beginning of a new year. 

Please see the Designs page for the full image.