For more than 10 years, ringing bells and singing carols for the Salvation Army each holiday season has been a staple for Debra Lambertson.

For the last four or five years, Lambertson, 59, has volunteered to ring the bell of giving by a red kettle for about four hours each day.

“I like to get the Christmas spirit going early,” she said. “And I like to sing, so that’s mainly what I do is sing and ring the bell a little bit.”

After having surgery on both hands, Lambertson said it’s difficult to ring the bell continuously, so she uses the music of her vocal chords instead. Usually seen at Hy-Vee, she has earned the nickname “the Hy-Vee lady” during the holidays.

In the past, she also stood by a red kettle at Walgreens and at Sterling Main Street, but said it’s easier to go to Hy-Vee each year since the Salvation Army provides a ride to the store as she doesn’t have a vehicle.

“I know where I have to go every day and I don’t have to think about it,” she said.

Lambertson tries to sing different Christmas carols every year and mix it up so she doesn’t sound like a broken record. She brings along a book of songs to help with variety and said she thoroughly enjoys singing during the times she’s ringing the bell, although she understands for some who work near where she stands it can get repetitive.

“If I forget my books, then the songs are really repeated,” she laughed.

She occasionally sings along with the music Hy-Vee plays over the store speakers, if she knows the song, but mostly she sings a cappella.

“I’ve gotten a lot of compliments,” Lambertson said. “I’ve had people come over to me and say, ‘I thought that was a record.’”

“I guess it echoes throughout the whole store,” she added.

Although she usually stands by the kettle alone, she has had other volunteers come and sing along with her. She recalled one group of teenagers who stopped and asked if they could sing with her during her shift. She remembered they stayed and sang with her for about an hour.

Lambertson’s history with the Salvation Army started in 1975, when a fellow employee invited her to church and she committed her life to Christ. She started working at a coffee house the Salvation Army had at the time, making popcorn and serving coffee. She has also volunteered with the Christmas Tree program and worked at the Salvation Army Thrift Store over the years.

At different times throughout the years, Lambertson has also used some of the services of the Salvation Army, such as the food shelf. She never forgot the help of those services and always tried to give back.

“I’ve always had the Salvation Army in the back of my mind for volunteering,” she said.

Although a big reason she stands by a kettle is to spread the spirit of the season, she also hopes people will realize how great the need is in each community.

“The need is great,” she said. “There are so many people that don’t have enough money to buy food, buy clothing, and it’s a way to show people that they care and that they’re there to support them in whatever way that they can, whether it’s through the thrift store or doing the Christmas Tree or the bell ringing.”