Anytime you hear a bell ring, an angel gets its wings.

If that is true, fellow Marysville Globe-Arlington Times reporter Doug Buell and I helped out a lot of angels Dec. 6.

We were at the Fred Meyer in Marysville ringing bells for the Salvation Army. We were two of many members of the Marysville Kiwanis Club who volunteered for the fundraiser that day.

I have to admit when I was younger the bell ringers used to bug me. It was like they were trying to irritate me to the point where I would give. It actually got to the point where I would tell them I would donate if they would stop ringing the bell when I went by.

But that was before I found out what the Salvation Army does with the donations.

I used to be pretty ignorant about social services in general. I was convinced people who used them were just taking advantage of the system.

Boy was I wrong. While a few people may be like that, and we read about them all the time, the majority of folks really need the help.

And what makes the Salvation Army so important is they often are helping the poorest of the poor. They help those who fall through the cracks at other nonprofits. So all that change that goes into the red kettles adds up to help those really in need.

Many of the Salvation Army bell ringers are very quiet. But that strategy didn’t work for me. Doug and I were constantly saying, “Merry Christmas” to people who walked by, even if they didn’t donate. Of course if they gave we added “Thank you.” We sang some Christmas songs, mostly “Jingle Bells” since it went along with what we were doing.

To make the two-hour shift even more fun, I decided to do a social experiment. Part of the time I was myself. But the rest of the time I put on my No. 3 Seattle Seahawks jersey, along with a Russell Wilson mask I got for Halloween.

That was a blast. As soon as that happened people started smiling, laughing and pointing – enjoying the surprise. Of course there were still a few Scrooges who couldn’t wipe those frowns off their faces, but in general the donations picked up dramatically.

People wearing their own Seahawks gear became very dependable donors. Many others would pass us on the way out, then stop at the door, and come back to give.

Doug knows a lot of people in town, having worked for the city for 20 years, so he would talk to them, and they, in turn, would take the time to donate.

People would call me “Russell” or “Wilson” and say things like “Nice game Sunday” or “Beat the Packers.”

But one young lady said, “You’re creeping me out.”

I guess that’s why no one wanted their picture taken with this Russell Wilson.

The moral of this story is that if you are happy and have fun you can help others enjoy the holidays to the point that they may feel good about giving to those in need.