Pacelli Catholic Schools preschoolers are set to boost the Christmas mood with ringing bells and Christmas tunes.

Pacelli will hold its annual Christmas concerts in the next several days. The preschoolers Christmas concert will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday at St. Augustine’s Church. The elementary Christmas concert will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Pacelli auditorium, and the middle/high school Christmas concert will be at 7 p.m. on Sunday in the Pacelli auditorium.

Christine Frederick has directed the preschool concert for the past four years. In her experience, the concert is much beloved by the community; in fact, the concert moved from Pacilli auditorium to St. Augustine’s for more room.

“We’ve been in the auditorium but we’ve grown,” she said. “Our program has doubled, so as far as seating we ran out of room.”

Shirley Cahill will play the piano, as in past years, and Frederick will help to direct the children in the choir. Robyn Bickler, another preschool teacher, has also helped work with the students to prepare for the concert.

The preschoolers will not just be singing, though.

“The kids have learned to play the bells, so we have somewhat of a little bell choir that plays,” Frederick said.

The preschoolers will be joined by the kindergarten prep classes during the concert. The students have also learned “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” in sign language and will show off their signing skills during the final song. There will be a short reception after the concert.

“The kids are so excited,” Frederick said. “We’ve been counting down the days on our calendar.”

She said the public has enjoyed the concerts in past years and have been surprised at the students’ ability to learn and play the bell instruments.

“They really enjoy it,” Frederick said. “It’s just kind of fun to see what we’re doing with the kids as far as the songs.”

All the songs in the concert have a religious focus, to help the students stay focused on what Christmas is all about in the classroom. There will be 12 songs, including “Mary Rock Your Baby,” “Jesus is a Sleepin’,” “Away in a Manger,” “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”

“It kind of gets everybody in the mood for the Christmas season,” Frederick said.