In 2001, my mom and I volunteered to be Salvation Army bell ringers one Christmas, and it was a great experience that we still talk about. When I saw all the bell ringers around town at the beginning of the Christmas season this year, I got an idea to volunteer as a family- and that is what we did!
It was awesome and something that we will continue to do each year. Our shift was from 10am-12pm, outside of a local grocery store. We brought snacks for the kids and emphasized the importance of not complaining, because we were collecting money for needy kids. They did great! And boy was it cold. Macy and I made the sign earlier that week, because I wanted to add a personal touch to our time out there. We also brought our portable speaker and blasted Christmas music, often singing along and/or dancing (it kept us warm!), the whole time. I really wanted to spread Christmas cheer to all we saw that morning- and we did! So many people complimented us and commented on what a great job we were doing, as a family.
Afterwards, we took the kids out to lunch- they earned it!
A few days later, I got this email-
Dear Farrah,
I wanted to thank you and your family for ringing the bell last Saturday at Tacketts Mill--it was a record day of giving there and no doubt your lovely crew started it off right! I hope we can partner again in 2015!
Grace and Peace,
Catie
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