Veterans Day and Bell Ringing

Today all four girls and I went to ring bells for the Salvation Army red kettle campaign. This has become an annual tradition for us, and I'm really glad we do it. We talk about serving others and raising money for the poor. This year our shift fell on Veterans Day, so we were also able to talk about what Veterans (not the same as veterinarians!) are and why we honor them on this day.

Last year our shift was in December, and the windchill happened to be below zero. The store I picked, although we were between the doors, was not heated. Needless to say, we were VERY cold, though we did complete our two hour shift!

I wasn't about to make the same mistake again this year, so when online signups began a couple of months ago, I jumped on a shift much earlier in the year (and at a different store!). It later occurred to me that our shift was on Veterans Day. Hmm, I'd been thinking about staying warm, not about the fact that November 11 was maybe a little early for some people to be hearing Christmas carols, besides it being Veterans Day. But we decided to make the most of it.

The girls and I made a sign that said, "Honor a Veteran, Donate Today" and put it by the kettle. We all dressed in red, white and blue and waved a small flag. We decided not to sing this year, but just to smile and wish people a good day while ringing our bells. These pictures were taken at the very end of our two hour shift, by which time F was asleep in the Ergo on my back, and G was asleep in a cart next to us (her medicine makes her sleepy).

Only one person asked why we weren't singing. I offered to sing her a song, but she turned me down. :-) A few people commented, "oh, is it that time of year already?" Most people can't pass up such a cute group of girls, so we got a lot of donations! (I know I wouldn't get nearly as many donations if I were ringing bells by myself!) It worked out great, and I think we did our part to kick off the red kettle campaign this year!