It was released by Méliès's Star Film Company and is numbered 298–305 in its catalogues, where it was advertised as a féerie cinématographique à grand spectacle en 20 tableaux.

The scene shifts to the entrance of a Catholic church, where young bell-ringers are pulling their bell ropes and congregants are arriving from the snow for Mass.

The film, one of Méliès's cinematic contributions to the féerie genre, may have been inspired by a stage production of the same name, produced in 1896 at the Olympia music hall in Paris.

[3] The long and (for Méliès) unusually serene shot of a church bell ringing also functions as a symbol; it can be read as a communal ritual of peace, seen through a gently nostalgic lens.

[6] However, the film also includes more in-depth diagonal staging, realistically painted scenery, and naturalistic acting than is usual in Méliès's major productions.

[1] The scene arrangement and staging combine to give a sense of dynamic, free-flowing movement, helping build a coherent atmosphere for the film's urban spaces.