The Legend of the First Christmas Bell There was once, we are told, shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night, when an angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them of the birth of a baby. A special baby boy whom they would find wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, Jesus. And as the story goes, the shepherds were guided by a star which shone over the stable, with the manger, in Bethlehem. In that city lived a little blind boy. He couldn’t follow the star because he couldn’t see it. He heard the excitement of the people around him and he wanted to be part of this amazing event but in his darkness he couldn’t find the way to go, nor could he find anyone willing to stop and help him. As the night wore on and things quietened down, he heard the faint tinkle of a distant bell. He turned and walked in the direction of the sound, still hoping that there would be some kind person to guide him. As he drew nearer to the sound, he heard excited voices and realised that the sound of the bell probably came from one of the cattle in the stable. As he approached someone took his hand and lead him to the manger, where he knelt silently and gave thanks for the safe delivery of Baby Jesus. Over the ages the tale has been retold, and people have fashioned little straw bells to remember the boy who followed the sound of a cattle bell to Jesus