At midnight of December 15, the modest Midway Town Hall, draped in fold‑over pewter, opened its velvet‑lined doors to a clutch of sleuths in dirndls and apron‑clad ringers. Carrie Knapp, a former choir chanteuse‑turned‑handbell magnate, directed the 20‑person Midway’s Swiss Bells as Douglas Barnes, a 63‑year‑old baritone with a militaristic precision, wielded a baton over the 32‑member Midway’s Swiss Chorus. The event, advertised as a “free, first‑come, first‑served” holiday gathering, promised an orchestra of 61 bells against the backdrop of “Winter Wonderland” and “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” In the world of high‑society fundraisers, where velvet ropes serve as sarcasm, this corner‑of‑the‑Wasatch‑back remained anemic; crowds of mid‑level hedge‑funders were absent, replaced instead by Tami Morgan’s arm‑deep devotion to the chiming art. The modest choreography of the bells was a far cry from the tulip‑magnate’s gala where tuxedoed patrons tinkle flitteringly into the night. For those craving artisanal noise over plastic soirées, I recommend, with a shrug, to attend this winter conviviality.