You know what I hate most about the holidays? I hate having to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. I simply cannot stand the little girl who says, “Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a complete Scrooge. In fact, I rather enjoy the holiday season. It’s just the girl that annoys the tinsel out of me. But as much as I loathe that high-pitch, sticky-sweet voice of hers, I think she might be on to something about the bells.

You see, there is something special and important associated with the ringing of bells this time of year. Every holiday season, the Salvation Army bell ringers are out in masses in front of stores collecting money to aid needy children and families locally, nationally and globally.

Maybe you find the bell ringers a nuisance during your holiday shopping mayhem. You might scoff at the Salvation Army since 100 percent of its collections do not go directly to charity, and you might even claim that the individuals ringing the bells are in it only for themselves, as the majority receive some compensation.

Talking to the people who ring the bells day and night might give you a different perspective. One bell ringer, Reggie, said he does it because “everybody needs help sometimes.” Another bell ringer, Matt, is doing it because he needed a job quickly. But what keeps him going isn’t the paycheck.

“The weather is the only drawback,” he said. “But I just look up at that little girl’s face, and that keeps me going.”

That little girl looks down at Matt from a poster atop the red kettle used for collecting donations. Her big, empty eyes symbolize what the organization works to overcome: hardship, poverty, broken lives. Locally, the Salvation Army operates shelters and adult rehabilitation centers, provides services for latchkey kids, helps feed families and does scores of other charitable works. Globally, the organization works to fight hunger in impoverished nations and works with relief efforts for victims of natural disasters.

The Salvation Army’s most visible local efforts are seen in the annual Tree of Lights campaign. Approximately one-fourth of donations collected in St. Louis during the holiday season are given through the Tree of Lights. All donations are used locally, and 90 cents of every dollar goes directly to programs and services. The money collected gives more than 45,000 toys to children for Christmas, provides food for thousands of families in the St. Louis area and warms nearly 1,000 elderly and homebound individuals with blankets during the winter.

The holidays are often referred to as the season of giving, but that giving shouldn’t be limited to presents under a tree or exchanged eight nights a year. We might spend hundreds of dollars every holiday season on gifts for our family and friends, but what are we doing for the person who can’t afford food for their family, let alone holiday gifts?

We all have something that we can give and something that we should give, not because it benefits us in some way, but because there are far too many people who cross our paths each day who do not have their basic needs met. These people aren’t looking for a handout–they are looking for a way out. They just need a little bit of help, as Reggie said.

Whether you’re shopping for gifts, making a last minute run to the grocery store, or just going about your daily business this holiday season, you will hear bells ringing. Those bells shouldn’t make you think about little Zuzu or Clarence, but should make you think about what you have done this holiday season to make someone else’s day a little warmer and a little brighter.