Nordre Trefoldegheds Menigheds, or North Trinity Church, was built in 1893, tucked into the woods outside Nash, North Dakota. Known as the Swede Church, this house of worship was a passion project belonging to Knut Staven, a Swedish carpenter who had settled in the area. For 60 years, the church served the faith folks of Walsh County. Today, it remains the center of a beloved Christmas tradition for people near and far because of a very special feature: the bell hanging in the steeple.

For generations, the bell at Nordre Trefoldegheds Menigheds has rung on Christmas Eve. Depending on the weather, the joyful noise could be heard for miles. In 1970, Ken Johnson, who was baptized in the church in 1925, had succeeded his father as the bell ringer. Shortly after, he had a mobile telephone installed in his truck. On Christmas Eve in 1972, he rang the bell and called an old friend from Nash who lived out in California. From there, the call list grew and grew. Eventually, the singular sound of a cast iron bell ringing in the cold December night was carried across the world, from the Arizona desert to the Pennsylvania woods, the California coast to the beaches of Florida, and even to the war torn country of Iraq. For many listeners, it is the sound of Christmases from their past. Ken Johnson has since passed away, but the lovely tradition continues every Christmas Eve.