The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year for many people, but it can become stressful when trying to buy Christmas gifts for the whole family. More than 100 years ago, a banker in Carlisle, Pennsylvania started a program for his customers to ease that end-of-year holiday stress. It’s called the Christmas Club Account, and Farmers Bank & Trust still offers it today!
The goal is to save for Christmas throughout the year. The account is designed to start saving in November, December, or January and will close out at the end of October, giving people plenty of time to get all their shopping done without the worry of “How are we going to pay for this?”
Each month customers contribute at least $10 from their Farmers Bank & Trust checking account through an automatic transfer. The option to transfer money weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly is also available. Once the end of October rolls around, and the Christmas Club Account reaches at least $500, Farmers Bank & Trust kicks in a $10 bonus.
“It’s so exciting to get that mailbox money!” Farmers Bank & Trust Customer Contact Center Vice President Judi Franks said. “I was a young mother when I first started working at the Bank and trying to buy Christmas for three kids was hard. Opening a Christmas Club Account helped me learn how to save. I never see it go out of my account; it goes out the day I get paid.”
Franks has been working at the Bank for more than 25 years. Her children are now grown, but she still uses the Christmas Club Account to save money for travel.
“My kids and grandchildren live in Chicago, so I use the money saved to go see them,” she said. “It’s really great not having to worry about using credit cards. No one wants to pay off their Christmas in July.”
The possibilities are endless with a Christmas Club Account. Customers may use them like Judi did to save up for a vacation, to remodel a home, or just to purchase that cute pair of boots online!
Stop into any Farmers Bank & Trust branch location and ask about our Christmas Club Account. It’s only $10 to get started toward a little bit of financial security for the holidays.
