I think this is the earliest I have seen the Salvation Army bell ringers out in front of the stores.
It would not be so bad, except they ring the bells so loudly!
Ugh..takes the fun out of shopping if before you get in the store you have a horrible headache.

hey they have to start early around here to raise the money, it used to be the day after thanksgiving when i was doing it..
did you know if any of your kids are 16 they can work the kettles and make min wage? i used to do it all the time when we were robbing the mice for their cheese for the boys christmas money...lol
hey did you make out good? david got a whole buggy of halloween costumes/props etc. for 100...mine was 30 something..lol..ran out of time am hitting k-mart tomorrow...

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"Cast upon this globe without physical strength or innate ideas, incapable in himself of obeying fundamental laws of this nature which call him to the supreme place in the universe, it is only in the heart of society that man can attain the pre-eminent position which is his natural destiny. Without the aide of civilization he would be one of the feeblest and least intelligent of animals.."
Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard

Brought lots of candy..($22 worth) more than I should of..Bob keep tossing bags in the buggy. There still was lots of candy left at Walmart.
I did not know that people made money ringing the bells. All my boys are working regular jobs..the 16 year old works part-time with his brothers.At least it is not too cold yet..I always felt sorry for the younger kids doing it late at night when it is freezing

what sucks is that last year, the news did a story on how many of the "bell ringers" were scammers claiming to be the salvation army. I usually give in kettles BUT since it seems so many people are lying and cheating...I won't. I'll give directly instead. If I give, I want to make sure it's going to who really needs it. Isn't sad we have to think that way?

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Forrestlayne and me are lucky not having to worry about that here..is a small town..so we know they are the real bell ringers here...we used to have a box on main street too back in the hey day, now just a k-mart and wally world....and the fire dept men will collect in front of the ABC store..we have the Salvation Army and something else called the Christmas Mother she is picked by a secret society every year, and yes it usually is a Dr.s wife or someone in the upper crust shall we say..Bath County has the same Chrtistmas Mother thing going too..
I know many a year I stood out there and so did David ringing that bell so we would not have to ask for help on Christmas...even though they give all the bell ringers a food voucher and 25.00 as a bonus on Christmas Eve. David worked it one year he was laid off, I did it I think 5 years in a row.

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"Cast upon this globe without physical strength or innate ideas, incapable in himself of obeying fundamental laws of this nature which call him to the supreme place in the universe, it is only in the heart of society that man can attain the pre-eminent position which is his natural destiny. Without the aide of civilization he would be one of the feeblest and least intelligent of animals.."
Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard

I have not seen any yet, but I always give to them. My dad always said that when he was in the army the Red Cross charged for everything but the Salvation Army didn't. So they are the ones that get my money. They are one of the things that make it seem like the Christmas season. The Salvation Army has been busy the last week here in So CA helping people that were evacuted from their homes because of all the fires.

that's the nice thing about small towns. Our isn't huge (about 60,000) but it's big enough that this is a problem. It was a greater problem when I grew up in the city and there were 350,000 + people. Of coarse my DH grew up in a tiny mountain town with a graduating clas of like 15 so to him, our town is huge.

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I normally see them out after Thanksgiving.

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l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

We have had that happen here many times, so I do the same thing....we just give directly so I know it's going where it should.....It's sad that people try to take advantage of others generosity.....Haven't seen any bell ringers yet this year....usually see them after Thanksgiving....

When the kids and I do see them out many time the kids will bring them something to drink or eat, and that usually when you can tell if they are real or not.......

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O

small towns are the best.....Dh and I are both from small towns, and miss it so so so so much!

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O