Christmas at Central National Bank in Waco
Santa Claus usually stays at the North Pole, except on Christmas Eve to deliver presents, obviously, but every weekend in December he makes a trip to Waco to take photos with children — and adults! Central National Bank in Waco has been hosting Christmas at CNB for more than 10 years, where they provide families with a fun and relaxed Christmas experience with the opportunity to take free photos with the one-and-only Santa.
The community event has a professional photographer capture photos of families with Santa for them to download at no cost. Last year, more than 4,700 photos were taken of families with Santa. The bank also provides all the warm holiday goodies, such as hot chocolate, cookies, candy canes and even a letter to Santa station. Recently added to the event was a holiday concert featuring the Waco Community Choir.
The holiday project came about when the bank’s CEO, Joe Nesbitt, mentioned the idea of having a giant Christmas tree and hosting a centralized gathering for families with Santa. What started as an in-the-moment idea has turned into a bright and merry event, with people even coming from outside the Waco community to attend Christmas at CNB.
For the bank, it’s more than a community event; it’s investing in the future.
“Since the bank opened, it’s been important to give back. In a way, we’re investing in the future,” said Veronicka Thompson, director of employee engagement and HR operations at CNB. “We want to invest in the community and the people, their children, the place we live in and the place we work in.”
Thompson clarifies that those who attend the event do not have to be customers of the bank, allowing them a large reach of people to attend the event.
The heartfelt feedback from the community and the opportunities the bank is able to provide through this event makes the hard work and dedication of organizing it worth it each year. A few times, parents have reached out to the bank in hopes the event could start early for their children who are immunocompromised to give them the chance to see Santa without any risks. Of course, CNB joyfully allows the opportunity.
The bank’s employees get excited every year for this event. “It’s become a real source of pride,” said Bryan Fonville, chief operations officer at CNB. Both Thompson and Fonville agree the event puts everyone at the bank in the holiday spirit. As for the bank, the spirit is in the community.
Anna’s Angel Tree in Anna
There’s a tree about 45 miles north of Dallas that has more to it than string lights, shimmer and a bow. Anna’s Angel Tree inside Texas Bank provides presents for underprivileged children in the Anna community.
The bank offers more than just financial services — during the holiday season, it’s practically Santa’s workshop. With Anna’s Angel Tree flooded with presents from friends and neighbors in the community, more than 400 Anna ISD students received gifts on Christmas morning last year. But the giving doesn’t stop there. The community raised an additional $5,000 in cash on top of the gifts.
Anna’s Angel Tree, which started as a holiday project at the local fire department, has been giving back to the community for nearly 20 years. Having the Angel Tree at the bank was intended to be a temporary stay after the local fire department was unable to continue hosting the tree, but instead, it found a permanent home inside the bank. With an open layout design, large windows and high ceilings, the Angel Tree just made sense to be located inside the bank’s lobby.
“There was no way we could let it go,” said Tiffany Terry, administrative assistant at Texas Bank. “We had to continue, and to watch the parents’ relief on their faces when they were able to gift toys and sometimes food for families during the holidays.”
The calls from the community about the Angel Tree start rolling in once fall hits. Terry said some families have made it a tradition to come together to choose angels for Christmas. Organizations and businesses within the community also participate by choosing angels from the Angel Tree.
The bank begins planning the project as soon as October begins. They meet with community members for gift applications and gather angels for the tree just before the end of the month when locals are ready to get in the holiday spirit in November. Though they’re full-time bankers, the Texas Bank staff become part-time elves when they organize and distribute gifts during this busy season.
Terry hopes to continue to grow the holiday project as the community grows. “Anna is growing every single day, and so the need, I’m sure, will get bigger each season.” She continues, “I hope we can continue to do what we’re doing and help everybody that we can.”
Holding true to its core value of serving the community, Texas Bank in Anna goes above and beyond serving its community during the holiday season. For the bank, the holiday spirit means “giving back.”