The Bells are Ringing

I had grown to despise hearing and seeing those people who stand in front of the stores with their little red shiny pots, ringing loud and obnoxious bells every Christmas.

Bundled up to weather any storm, these seemingly nomadic people are at every entrance constantly ringing those bells, and trying to glean whatever attention they can from the steady stream of shoppers. Hoping beyond hope that some divine intervention will move the shoppers to open their hearts, minds and wallets, and divert some monetary support to their little red pot.

The bell ringers are rather bold and unapologetic when they look you straight in the eye and smile, calling out loudly and cheerfully a holiday greeting whether you leave a donation or not. Many will even hold the door open for you, and scurry to pick up whatever you may have dropped. And they do all this while constantly and methodically ringing their bells.

These gatherers, of sorts, are not embarrassed by their place in society. In fact they seem like a rather proud lot; like they are of a chosen few. And they are not afraid of rejection! Why, some people will walk past them as if they don't even exist! Others will dig deep into their pockets and pull out whatever they can afford to give. Some just reiterate a greeting, muttering under their breath so that it can barely be heard. But regardless of the outcome, the bell ringers do not waiver. They are always kind, considerate, thoughtful and persistent.

This holiday season I have for some unknown reason had a change of heart. The bell ringers suddenly don't aggravate me, and I don't find their bells annoying either. While I have always donated my spare change to their pots every year, this year finds me digging a bit deeper.

Last night I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things, and as I was leaving I dropped some money in the shiny red pot. The woman ringing the bell thanked me and wished me a Merry Christmas as usual.

It was a cold, blustery night and the thought of a Starbucks Mocha coffee sounded really good to me. There is a Starbucks shop right in the same area, so I drove across the lot and parked. Inside, I ordered my Mocha and suddenly had an inspirational idea. I ordered a hot chocolate for the bell ringer.

As I left the parking lot the bell was ringing in one hand and the hot cocoa was gratefully in the other.