ring my bell

only one thing says the christmas season is here more than a red starbucks cup and that is a red kettle from the salvation army. when i was growing up my parents would hand me change to put into the kettle. at the time i had no idea what i was doing but it was a habit that stuck and i now look forward to seeing the red kettles and hearing the ringing bells every christmas season.

tonight jared and i volunteered ringing the bell for the salvation army at our local hy-vee.  while it was pretty chilly out, we had a great time.  i loved greeting people and wishing them a merry christmas.  i was amazed how many people donated money to us, anything from a few cents to a $50 bill. we also had a special guest stop by to say hello, miss nicole. it was great to see a familiar face.   

this morning when we were getting ready for work, the news did a story on how donations are very low so far this year for the red kettle campaign.  i suggested a great way to drum up business would be to dress up as a cup of soup and sing and dance like justin timberlake did, but jared quickly turned that idea down. maybe next time.

did you know that the red kettle tradition dates back in 1891?  i had no clue. the salvation army is still looking for volunteers this christmas season if you're interested, all you have to do is click here. 

on a side note besides enjoying my volunteer experience, i also loved the people watching. i'll leave you with a couple observations. frozen pizza was by far the number one item i saw in everyone's grocery bags.  makes sense to me, it is delicious.  do you remember that story from a few years ago stating that des moines is the largest consumer of the product?  also, parents need to put more clothes on their kids.  i saw children in t-shirts, shorts, no coats, no socks and flip-flops.  hello, it is cold out?!