Did anyone spot a loose editor ringing a bell like a madman on Tuesday afternoon at the local Walmart?

If you did, there’s no need to be alarmed. That’s because my fellow Rotarians and I braved the cold and rainy weather to ring the bell for the Salvation Army.

It’s a staple Christmas tradition dating back to the 1890s. What started as one man’s dedicated cause has turned into a nationwide movement, with bells and pots at just about every store you can think of.

I actually first found out about the initiative through the famous SNL skit with Justin Timberlake when I was a kid. Every time I walked by someone ringing the bell, I would always think, “Bring it on down to homelessville!” and chuckle a bit.

But it wasn’t until last year that I actually realized what this century-old cause was all about. While my schedule didn’t permit me to volunteer last year, I was able to get away this year for an hour (would’ve been two had it not been for today’s A1 stories) to ring the bell myself.

Here’s what I learned in that short amount of time.

It doesn’t take much to give

There’s a common misconception that you have to be rich in order to give back. That honestly couldn’t be further from the truth.

Most of the donations we took on Tuesday were $1 or less, with much of it being pocket change from store transactions. But you’d be surprised how far that $1 bill may carry.

I believe we had approximately 50 donations during my one hour outside. If each person donated $1, that’s $50. Not too shabby.

Now, what if everyone who walked in and out of the store during that one-hour time frame dropped a $1 in the bucket? That would likely be somewhere in the $800-$1,000 range.

Obviously, that scenario would never happen. But what if half of those people donated? It’d make a huge difference, wouldn’t it?

‘Happy Holidays’ doesn’t resonate as well as ‘Merry Christmas’

My running mate and fellow Rotarian Phil Lanier and I took time to make some observations during our endless bell ringing. One of the most notable think we noticed is that people were less receptive to the phrase “Happy Holidays,” but more receptive to “Merry Christmas.”

So we experimented. Phil would tell people “Happy Holidays,” and I’d say “Merry Christmas.” Remarkably, more people were receptive to me than Phil.

I find this fascinating on so many levels. When did “Happy Holidays” become taboo? 

There were some people giving Phil the side-eye treatment over a saying that encapsulates all of the holidays. You would’ve thought based on some of the folks' reactions that he was the Grinch himself.

Is it because “Christmas is back?” and “Happy Holidays” is woke? Or is it a more unconventional saying in general?

Whatever the answer is, I’m sure you didn’t have critical thinking behind winter phrases on your BINGO card. I didn’t either.

Social connection hasn’t been further apart

Tying back to my previous point, there were equally as many people who either (A) ignored us completely, (B) were on their phone as we tried saying hello to them or (C) did not know how to interact with us.

As someone who suffers from anxiety – social anxiety in particular – I understand that situations like this can actually be uncomfortable. But what I saw on Tuesday wasn’t anxious behavior; it was a complete disconnection of human interaction.

I was stunned to see just how many people walked by in fear of two people saying “Hi” and “Happy Hol…” I mean, “Merry Christmas!”

It just seems like social interaction is declining with each passing year. We know that phones and technology are major contributing factors to this, but it’s scarier realizing this on a large scale.

Walmart really is the place where free will exists

Even on a 40-degree day, Walmart still is and always will be the most suitable place to exercise free will.

I saw people in pajamas, people in tank tops and shorts and people with more coats than the Michelin man. I even saw two people walk in without shoes. 

There are some people who find all of that to be a bad thing. But, honestly, I think it’s awesome. Nothing screams freedom and personal expression quite like a Walmart.

I’m guilty of all of these four of these points

Guess what… *drumroll* … You know all of those points I just made? I’m guilty of all of them.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked by a Salvation Army bucket and didn’t even think to give a penny (well, when pennies were still commonplace). I also typically gravitate more toward the “Merry Christmas” saying than “Happy Holidays” myself, though for no particular reason.

Avoiding people in public? You bet I do that. And don’t get me started about the many times I’ve shown up in Walmart looking less than professional.

But despite my unconditional guilt, there’s a lot to learn when you put yourself in a different perspective. There’s even more to learn when you don’t do it for yourself, but for others in need.

So take some time to help someone out. Not just for the holiday season, but all the time.

And remember, drop some money in that red bucket on your next grocery store trip.

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.