HUEYTOWN, Ala. (AP) - If Selina Dailey can’t give you Christmas spirit, no one can.
Selina is a bell ringer for the Salvation Army at the Hueytown Walmart. And she sings as much as she rings.
“I ring and sing, six days a week,” Selina said. “It’s something I love doing. It makes me feel good.”
She sings “Jingle Bells,” ’’Silent Night,” ’’Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and other Christmas favorites. People walking into the store often sing along with her. “All the time,” she said.
“I love coming here,” Selina said. “People are so loving and kind. I want them to be happy. We all deserve happiness.”
The Salvation Army’s red kettle drive has been running behind this year. It’s a Christmas tradition that dates back to 1891 when a community pot was formed to help the needy.
Organizers say the weather, and perhaps earlier generosity for hurricane relief, has had a negative impact on the collection.
But it’s not due to any lack of enthusiasm from Selina.
The Salvation Army does a lot of good for needy people, she said. “They try to help everybody,” she said.
“We all need help,” Selina said. “Ain’t none of us woke up on this day and said, ’I don’t need nobody.’ I need the Lord. And I need everybody’s love and caring and support.”
You’d think Selina wouldn’t be as happy as she is. Just a few weeks ago, someone stole a bag of her belongings near the Salvation Army red kettle. It included her cell phone. She filed a police report, but it hasn’t been recovered. So she’s been living without a phone.
She has been widowed, but since remarried. She has two grown children and a 5-year-old grandchild.
She needed a job three years ago and someone recommended the Salvation Army.
She started as a bell ringer, working for minimum wage. The Salvation Army uses a mix of volunteers and paid workers to ring bells at collection points. Selina said it was her kind of job from the first day. She works from early November until Christmas, six days a week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s something I love doing,” she said. “It makes me feel good.”
You can hear Selina sing and talk more about the art of bell ringing and bringing Christmas spirit in the video below.
“You got people coming in here looking all sad,” she said. “But when they leave me, I want them to feel happy, because it lets you know somebody out there loves them and still cares about them. And we need support like that.”
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