Ding, ding, ding, ding. You know the sound. You can barely leave a grocery store at this time of year without hearing someone ringing a bell by a Salvation Army Red Kettle.
Even back in England, I always found the bells synonymous with the American Christmas. So many movies showed people ringing for all their worth as kindly passers by dropped coins or notes in the kettles.
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I was thrilled when I first got to see one in real life. It was as much a part of an American Christmas as “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Eager to learn more about the history of the red kettles, I checked the Salvation Army website. Turns out the idea started back in 1891, the brainchild of Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee.
Saddened to see so many individuals in San Francisco going hungry during the holidays, McFee decided to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute. Wondering how to pay for the food, he recalled his days as a sailor in Liverpool. At Stage Landing, where the boats docked, there was a large iron kettle called Simpson’s Pot into which passers by threw coins for the poor.
The story has it that the next day he placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, with a sign that read “Keep the Pot Boiling.” When passers by happily donated, McFee saw his idea would work. Within six years the project spanned the country from the West Coast to Boston.
I was disappointed by the news this season that not enough people have been volunteering, resulting in less money than usual being raised, which is ironic given the need is greater than ever.
Thanks to the pandemic, 2020 saw the largest significant jump in poverty since government records began. Funds raised by the Salvation Army’s annual campaign help the homeless and those facing poverty, yet the very pandemic that has increased the need has led to fewer people volunteering. It’s a sad situation.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had seen fewer bell ringers about town. Many of the kettles have been unmanned. There’s nothing to stop people dropping in donations, but it’s easy to pass them unnoticed if you’re busy doing your holiday shopping.
So, when I had the opportunity to volunteer myself, I decided this was the year to have a go. By “I,” of course, I mean “we,” which is how Grumpy and I found ourselves shivering outside Casey’s Foods one recent Saturday morning.
Grumpy is someone who always has to go the extra mile so he came up with an idea before we went.
“Let’s get some of those walking stick things to hand out,” he said the day before.
“Walking sticks? Do you mean candy canes?” I replied.
“Yes, that’s it. Those little red and white candies.”
“Well, I don’t think we need to bribe people into giving,” I said.
“It’s not a bribe, it’s just something nice to do. They’ll remember us.”
“Not sure that’s really the point, but OK,” I relented. While shopping for them, I also picked up a couple of cozy Santa hats. If you’re going to do a job, you may as well do it properly.
Being a Salvation Army bell ringer turned out to be quite an education. Here’s what I learned:
1. The main reason to ring the bells isn’t to attract attention, it’s to keep your hands from freezing over. If you forget your gloves, you’ll find all the shivering and shaking will make them ring automatically.
2. No one wants to hear “more cow bell,” especially if it’s announced in an English accent. Although the tiny tinkling bells provided can be just a teensy bit irritating, it’s a lot better than the constant sound of three brass hand bells apparently, especially to anyone inside the store. (Well, I thought they were a nice idea, even if no one else did.)
3. Candy canes are only enjoyed by those under 8 and over 80. Fortunately, you can use any leftovers to make 40 pounds of peppermint bark. Apparently.
4. Naperville shoppers are not only generous, but polite. Almost everyone who dropped in a coin, note or several notes, thanked us for what we were doing. They also said “thank you, but no” really nicely when turning down the basket of candy canes.
5. With all the amazing medical breakthroughs made during the never-ending pandemic, no one has yet invented a successful way to wear glasses and a facemask in the cold without them steaming up.
6. Popping money in a Red Kettle isn’t the only way to donate. You can give online by visiting www.salvationarmyusa.org.
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Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.