The music starts at 7:55.

Longfellow was no stranger to grief.  His wife died in a house fire in 1860 and his oldest son had a nearly paralyzing gunshot wound as a union soldier during the American Civil War. Christmas Day 1863 found Longfellow hearing the bells chime out Christmas carols and trying to reconcile their cheerful sounds with the sad, harsh world of the Civil War surrounding him. Canons firing and carols playing didn't seem to match.

This is where the story of this song begins.

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