Merry Bells

NOTE: I was given a set of Merry Bells but all opinions are my own.

Years and years ago in the last millennium, I wanted a set of musical chimes. None were to be found.

So, my husband made me a set out of metal conduit pipe. He drilled holes at the top of the pipes and I strung yarn through the holes to use as a handle.

Then, I needed something to hit the chimes with. My husband suggested a ten-penny nail. I wasn’t too thrilled with that. So, I cut dowel sticks and put wooden beads on the end. That worked much better.

Not very elegant but they worked.

Fast forward to today. This lovely set of Merry Bells is the Cadillac version of my homemade metal chimes! Woo-eee!

The handbells come in a heavy cardboard box which makes storage wonderful. It has a magnetic closure to keep the bells snuggly in their case. I love that! I also love the plastic handle which makes it easy for carrying the box. The box and handle will last for a long time. Huzzah!

The box has a foam pad lining to protect the bells from getting scratched when not in use. Each individual bell is protected by a plastic cover. I am so impressed with all of the thought that went into protecting and packaging the bells.

In the picture above, take a look at the top inside of the lid. Plastic sleeves provide a wonderful place to store all of your Merry Bells DVDs. Everything is all in one place. I like that.

Each bell is a different color. Aren’t the colors bright and attractive?

That color is paired with the “note” that is to be played. This makes it super easy to know when it’s your turn to play.

The number of the note and the letter name of the note is printed on the end of the handle for easy reference. I like that! (The bells are the notes in the key of C in case you’re wondering.)

The bell handles are made of a sturdy, contoured plastic making it easy to hold. In addition to being strong, plastic handles will be very easy to keep clean — not that kids will ever have sticky or dirty fingers when using them . . .

The bell cups are made from a thick metal. The clapper is made of a heavy plastic and is on a heavy-duty spring. When the clapper hits the sides of the bell, it makes a lovely ringing sound. (Much prettier that my pipe chimes!)

Can you see a pattern in my description of these bells? Sturdy. Heavy. Heavy-duty. Thick. Strong. These handbells are well-made and are not a flimsy-break-after-one-use type of handbells.

The set comes with a follow-along Christmas DVD of 30 popular Christmas songs — Deck the Halls, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and more!

Pop the DVD into your DVD player and then watch your TV screen. At the beginning, you get the option of playing just the melody or having 2 bells played at the same time to create a harmony. Fun!

Have you played any of the Rock Band videos on a Wii or a PlayStation? Well, Merry Bells is similar.

Colored bars (that coordinate with the color of the bells) move down your TV screen. When a colored bar reaches the black line at the bottom, the person plays the bell.

The lyrics are at the bottom of the screen so you can sing along. The word (or syllable) that you sing is a different color than the other words on the screen so you can easily know which word to sing when playing your bell. (I recommend that everyone sings because there isn’t a music accompaniment on the DVDs.)

You can choose to play all songs on the DVD one right after the other. Or, you can select songs individually. You can also shuffle the songs. Cool.

You can play these bells all year long! Merry Bells offers other DVDs:

• Patriotic songs
• Children songs (such as Old Macdonald, Pop Goes the Weasel, Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
• Primary songs and hymns for people who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

What if you don’t have a DVD player? Not to worry. Digital versions of the songs can be downloaded to use on computers, phones, and Smart TVs. If you prefer, you can get a printed chart instead of the play-along DVD.

Our son’s family had so much fun playing the bells! My two grandsons (ages 8 and 10) could easily play the bells when we did the melody. My granddaughter (who is 5) needed a wee bit of help. But she still had fun. (See that cute little smile on her face!)

We played the songs over and over because we were having so much fun. Sometimes the kids kept the bells that they were using. Sometimes they switched.

We tried playing harmony but it was a little bit too much this first time around. I think that after they have more experience playing the bells that they could do the harmony.

I also played the bells with some of my other grandchildren.

They loved playing them so much that they didn’t want to stop. They begged to play longer. What’s a grandma to do? Why keep on playin’ of course!

Isn’t this the sweetest face ever? She’s one happy bell ringer!

This is a great family activity! You do not need any musical training to be successful at playing the bells. It’s great for all ages, too — kids, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! (Kids younger than 6 would need someone to help them.)

But you know, you could also have a party with friends and play the bells. Or, have a neighborhood party. Or a party with co-workers. Simply gather a group together and have loads of fun.

Hey! This would even be great to play at a family reunion, birthday party, lazy summer evening, or just because they are so fun!

It would be fun to give a set to each of your kids and their families for Christmas. What a wonderful present!

You’ll also want your own set!

You can purchase Merry Bells with its Christmas DVD for $39.95. The other DVDs cost $14.95.

But wait!!

The wonderful folks at Merry Bells is offering my readers 10% off their order. Use the code  ninacoupon to get your discount.

What are you waiting for? Hurry to Merry Bells and order a set now so you can create a new family tradition of ringing in the holidays with your bells!