Kettles

Ah, the word itself has been part of my vocabulary since I was able to speak! It seems as far as I can remember, I have been involved in some way with The Salvation Army Christmas kettle effort.

My first recollection is helping my grandfather as a young child. I used to ride shotgun with him while he made the rounds in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Each Friday and Saturday night, I would ride with him on the west shore route. I used to think I was a tough guy the way I would pick up the sign, put in the back of the van and slam the door. As a 6 year old, I was a little too small and too weak to handle a tripod! On Christmas day, he would usually present me with a small ( by today's standards) cash reward for helping him out.

My next recollection takes me to when my parents were commisioned as Army officers. While Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania was by no means as busy at Harrisburg, I thoroughly enjoyed the time in the van with my mom and dad, and yes...ultimately Tracy when she was born.

Before too long, I soon became old enough to legally work kettles. My father insisted that I help him out, and even though as a teenage boy, I thought there were better ways to spend my Saturdays, I reluctantly helped him out.

Soon, the Lord had other plans for my life, and called me to be an officer. As a cadet, we were required to stand kettles, and although I never had the opportunity to stand in Manhattan, I enjoyed the time playing in a brass quartet at Woodbury Commons in Woodbury, NY. The time flew by and it wasn't too cold.

Now as an officer, I have grown accustomed to the 14-15 hour days, living in my 15 passenger van with my kids for 5 weeks out of the year, and only using my home for sleeping. However, our Army requires the cash donations received to operate year round. This year we seem to be doing quite well. Let's just hope the weather stay pleasant for the next 10 days!

Kettles have been a huge part of my life. Share your kettle stories. I would love to hear them.