Since I was a kid, I emptied my piggy bank and the coin holder that collected nickels, dimes and quarters in the console for a cause much warmer than the weeks Salvation Army volunteers spend ringing bells outside.
I’m not the only kid who grew up to recognize the start of the holiday season with the sound of a ringing bell next to a little red kettle. The tradition we all hold closely started 122 years ago in California when a Salvation Army captain wanted to provide a free Christmas dinner to those less fortunate, but needed a way to pay for it. Captain Joseph McPhee thought back to his days as a sailor and used an old tradition he’d seen work successfully: Hang a large pot at the ferry landing. And, so he did. His thoughtful actions grew to a nationwide tradition for families, co-workers and friends to get together and ring bells for a good cause and encourage people to drop dimes and nickels into a kettle.
During Kevin and Lindsay in the Morning, we found a story about how the Salvation Army was struggling with its number of volunteers. So, off Kevin and I went to ring bells and raise awareness for a tradition that started simply and gives whole-heartedly.
Although we underestimated two hours in negative wind chills – my scalding-hot coffee lost its steam about as quickly as my hand warmers (28 minutes to be exact) – our WWKI listeners quickly proved that generosity often provides the best spark of warmth.
Moments after I got to our station in front of Hobby Lobby in Kokomo, a minivan drove up, drawing lines through the slushy snow. The window rolled down to reveal an elderly man with a kind smile, partially hidden with an oxygen mask. He held out a handful of dollar bills.
“Hi, miss. I’m not going to get out, but I heard you were going to be out here so I thought I’d give a little,” he said through gentle eyes. “Have a good day, dear,” he uttered as he drove off.
Moments later, a man plowed the two wheels of his bicycle through the parking lot, accompanied by an ornery laugh and a recommendation for how to raise more money: “You gotta sing, you gotta dance and then you gotta ring the bell,” he said as he demonstrated. No one stopped during his “performance,” but he topped it the kettle off himself with a half-dollar JFK coin.
“Here ya go! Merry Christmas or happy holidays – whichever doesn’t offend someone. It’s the holidays, so just get along is what I say,” he said before hopping back on his bike and pedaling off.
Next, a teenage boy, warmed by a Northwestern High School letterman jacket, reached into his back pocket and dropped the only dollars he had from his wallet into the red kettle. His mother looked on with quiet admiration – the corners of her smile etched with pride – in reaction to her son’s thoughtful gesture.
A mother and daughter arrived next.
“We’re doing this tomorrow, how cold is it?” she asked, flinching as she mentally prepared herself for the winter chills she’d face the next day.
“It’s not so bad, the people make the time go by quickly,” I said – failing to mention I’d lost feeling in my fingers and dropped the bell I was supposed to be gleefully ringing… six times. “Just wear two layers of gloves,” I added.
In the two hours we stood and rang and shivered, people became the biggest part of a little story about how I spent a Tuesday afternoon; standing next to a red kettle, gently swinging my arm to make a sound that has resonated with ears for 122 years: the sound of giving.
Although the holidays are over, don’t put an end to the spirit you have during the season of giving.
