The holiday season would not be complete without the sights and sounds of one of Hermann’s popular holiday programs, The Columbia Handbell Ensemble (CHE) Winter Concert.

For 13 years, CHE has made an annual trip to Hermann on the second Saturday in December to bring the Christmas spirit to all in attendance. This year’s performance will be on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. at St. George Catholic Church at 128 West 4th Street in Hermann. The concert is free and open to the public.

Thirteen ringers from mid-Missouri will be playing more than 128 bells and several octaves of handchimes to create the festive music, and part of the fun is watching the movement and precision of the ringers. Following the concert, the audience will have an opportunity to meet them and try ringing some of the bells.

This year’s program will include holiday favorites like “Hark!, the Herald Angels Sing,” “West Indies Carol,” “Joy to the World,” and the group’s hilarious rendition of “The Twelve Days After Christmas.”

Blended into this performance will be original handbell compositions and one of the “other” Sleigh Rides, this one composed by Prokofiev.

The group’s conductor is Ed Rollins, who has been involved in handbells across the country having served as president of the board of directors and interim executive director for Handbell Musicians of America.

The concert is sponsored by the Hermann Arts Council, Peoples Savings Bank, and St. George Catholic Church. A free will offering will support Samaritan Outreach, a charity of the Ministerial Alliance of the Hermann Area.