The wonderful corporate Christmas parties of Valley National Bank


Working for Valley National Bank in Phoenix was wonderful, especially around Christmastime. When I tell people how much I enjoyed the corporate life, most people don't believe me, but it's true, it was wonderful, and I have been very lucky.

I always went to corporate events, which always included good food, and goodies to take home (usually with logos on them, but I like that kind of stuff). There was a time when just about all of my casual wear had the Valley Bank logo on it.

The photo at the top of this post is from December of 1991, and I'm on the right. I really don't know who arranged all of this, but doing this kind of stuff had been a tradition for Valley Bank for almost 90 years by the time I got there. I liked to talk to the old-timers about Christmas parties past, and I'm told that back in the day alcohol was served (not at the parties I went to, and it's hard for me to imagine being drunk, or even slightly tipsy, around your co-workers. I'm glad that didn't happen!).

The table looks pretty empty, but my best guess is that it was before the festivities got started, and things got messy, with food, and presents.


Everyone got gifts, and it looks like I also got some gigantic sunglasses. I wonder if I still I still have those around here? Of course, if you know your Valley Bank history, you know that it was in very serious financial trouble around that time, but I was blissfully ignorant. Luckily for everyone, including me, Valley Bank was bought by Bank One the next year, and for the next few years everything pretty much remained the same, including the Christmas parties.

I left Bank One in '96, because it really wasn't any fun anymore, and I wandered out to see what would be next in my life. And I did have a wonderful next chapter, teaching at the Art Institute, which had awesome Christmas parties, too, but my fondest memories are of Valley National Bank.

Merry Christmas!
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