Bells are ringing: Salvation Army bell ringer loves his 'job' for the holidays

MOSES LAKE — Ed MacDonald is one serious Santa Claus.

“Do I look right? Is my belt right?” He asks as he fiddles with his suit, which is a rich red velvet with white fur and gold trim.

It has a tiny shoulder cape, and MacDonald is even wearing a white face mask underneath his curly white beard.

“Last year, my wife got me a new suit, she said ‘I’m tired of that old one,’” he explained.

MacDonald is getting ready to finish his Tuesday morning stint as a bell ringer for The Salvation Army out front of the Moses Lake U.S. Postal Service office. It’s something he’s done as a big, loud Santa for the army every year for the last seven years.

While better known as a charity, The Salvation Army is actually a church founded in London in the late 1860s by one-time Methodist preacher William Booth. With a special call to serve the poor, The Salvation Army runs food kitchens, provides emergency shelter for the homeless, helps people overcome addiction and assists disaster victims across the world.

“It’s the best charity out there by far. Everything goes to help people,” MacDonald said.

And the army is always looking for a few good bell ringers.

“I’m retired,” MacDonald said. “I go all around, wherever there’s a vacancy, I fill it.”

“They give me a kettle, and I do it,” he added.

It’s something he always wanted to do, but as one of the owners of the now-closed M & M Heating and Air Conditioning in Moses Lake, MacDonald said he never had the time until he retired.

“And when I retired, I said I’m going to do it,” he said. “I can come out here and tell everybody how great retirement is and gloat!”

MacDonald gently rings the very large handbell he holds in his right hand. Unlike the little bells most ringers hold, MacDonald’s could make a lot of noise.

But it’s all for a good cause — to raise money for the poor and spread holiday cheer. And it’s what brings MacDonald back to the red kettle.

“The joy of getting people in the spirit and excited about Christmas,” he said. “It’s something I always wanted to do, but when I was working, being a business owner, I never had time to do it.”

It’s also what brings his replacement ringer, Lilia Godinez, out to ring a bell as well. She mentioned she tried to find a Santa costume, but settled on a glittery elf hat and regular clothes.

“I like to do this because it makes people smile,” she said. “I like to see people enjoy it and smile.”

MacDonald said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Red Kettle fundraiser isn’t all that much different than any other years, though some things aren’t the same.

“I can’t hug the kids, gotta keep your distance, but when I get out here and I ring the bell and tell everybody Merry Christmas, most everybody smiles,” he said. “This year, you can’t tell though.”

All in all, MacDonald said because he gets to wear his fancy Santa suit, ring a bell and help raise money for The Salvation Army, it’s one of his favorite times of the year.

“I just love it, I look forward to it every year,” he said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].