Let the record show that Mrs. Hillbilly Mom does not mind donating. She DOES mind being coerced or shamed into donating. She prefers to donate in her own manner, in her own sweet time, whether it be through the workplace collection as in pre-retirement years past, or funding Farmer H's Santa sack so it can magically fill with toys, or helping neighbors who can't make ends meet, or wiping the payments for the $1000 Caravan right off the imaginary books for Farmer H's co-worker who bought it from us several years back. Giving does not have to be confined to the holiday season.
I know that bell-ringers are donating their time to do a charitable task. That THEY are not the ones who benefit from donations. Let them set up their cauldron out front of businesses, and ring that bell to their heart's content. Ring it 'til the cows come home. But when those cows arrive, at least make way for them to enter the home.
Today I entered four businesses. Two of them required me to
Today's bell-ringers act put-out to be bell ringing. They should not have volunteered, then. Do THEY always donate when they encounter other bell-ringers ringing their bells? It's not like you get a Buddy Poppy to twirl in the face of future Buddy Poppy sellers like my mom used to do, because she felt guilty about not donating to every person who asked.
Just sayin'. Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is not a curmudgeonly miser who pinches her pennies until they squeal. Okay. She IS a curmudgeon. And she DOES keep her pennies. But she does her fair share of donating in her own oddball manner.
Give her passage to the door.
6 comments:
Yes, the first bell ringer I saw a couple of days ago DID look quite resentful.
We don't get bell-ringers out here, thank goodness. But we do get doorknockers, some genuine charity workers, others just pretending in hopes of scoring some unearned cash, and we get charity letters in the mailbox imploring us to dig deep for those who have nothing. I don't exactly have nothing, I have a place to live, clothes, furniture and food, but I don't have spare cash too often, so I just throw away those letters. If I'm in a position to make a small donation I will choose where it goes, but then get annoyed with the barrage of begging letters that follows.
Sioux,
Maybe it's because they've been working up a sweat swinging that bell in our unseasonably warm weather. One of mine was wearing sunglasses, and I could still tell that she was having an attitude.
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River,
That's so true! Once you give, they waste more than your donation sending you all those letters. One year I accidentally gave TWICE to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, because I kept getting the letters, and forgot that I had already donated. THE HORROR!
We donate a LOT!! My husband, who has the brain of an accountant, keeps a list of our donations. He will not donate twice in one year to anyone.
You are right about the bell ringers bringing along a herd of friends or children! I prefer to choose my own charities and have no qualms about expressing that to those who decide to try to shame me. Two can play that game and I am quite adept at turning it around on them. I am old and no longer interested in what they may think of me.
fishducky,
I don't have an accountant's brain, or any other body part. I just have an informal list in my head of where I donate. The checkbook record might be a good reference if I get the urge to send off some money in the last half of the year.
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Kathy,
Even I have grown more cantankerous (yes, it IS possible) with my advanced age. Maybe I'll share some details tomorrow. Maybe not.
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