Dear Members:
As the holiday season gets in full swing, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you. This time of year reminds me of the importance of those whose dedication and support are the driving force behind our successes. Those supporters include not only our credit union family but also our employees. I remain deeply grateful to lead an organization partnered with so many people who help drive forward our cooperative mission.
And speaking of people who help drive our mission forward, our Enterprise Leadership Team is back in the spotlight again. We're continuing the tradition of sharing our thoughts and traditions about the holiday season, and I’m delighted to share their responses (including mine) to some holiday-themed questions.
What is your favorite holiday memory from childhood?
Tammy Cantrell, EVP, Chief Product Strategist: Being a military brat, we always traveled to my grandmother’s house for the holidays, and I enjoyed being able to spend time with my extended family.
Regina Lewie, SVP, Chief Risk Officer: Christmas morning. My sister and I were the youngest of six children. We would sit on the stairs and wait for dad to get the camera ready with the bright floodlight to film us seeing our gifts for the first time. However, usually my sister and I would sneak down in the middle of the night to see what Santa left. My other favorite memory is Christmas Eve. It was my father’s birthday, and mom would make him banana cream pie every year; it was his favorite!
Denise Brown, EVP, Chief Financial Officer: One Christmas Eve, the family was snuggled in to watch Willy Wonka (the original Gene Wilder version), and my dad surprised us all with a huge basket of Bloomers chocolates...and let us eat as much as we wanted.
Prashanta Pradhan, EVP, Chief Information Officer: My favorite holiday memory from childhood is celebrating Dashain in Nepal with my family. Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal, and I fondly remember flying kites, receiving blessings from elders, and enjoying delicious feasts with my extended family.
Christine Mayes, EVP, Chief Member Engagement Officer: When my dad went to the car wash throughout the year, he would bring home items he found in the trash, usually things people steal from stores and then throw away. After he brought home these typically weird and hideous items, he would wrap them up as presents and label them to someone else in the family “from” my grandma. As my grandma got older and more forgetful, it was always funny watching the recipient of the random gift pretend to like it (even if they weren’t sure the gift was actually from her) and then thank my grandma, while my grandma in turn would respond with “Oh my, I don’t remember buying that.”
Melissa Ashley, President/CEO: One of my favorite memories from childhood is celebrating Christmas Eve with my mom's family at their farm. No gifts were opened until we helped finish the chores (which meant feeding and milking the cows) and ate Christmas dinner. My parents always made a big deal of Santa bringing gifts, sometimes going so far as to have someone dress up as Santa and deliver them in person! As my brother and I got older and started to suspect that Santa wasn't real, we made a pact to watch the adults closely to see if any of them left the room just as "Santa" came. That year our dad said he had to go refresh his drink, and next thing we knew the old cow bells were ringing in the washroom by the kitchen. We ran to find a bag of gifts and realized it was our parents playing Santa all along.
Would you rather have to cook the big holiday meal every year or have to clean up and do the dishes after the holiday meal every year?
Christine Mayes: Cook! Scraping and cleaning the dishes…eww…it’s much more fun to make the mess than clean it up.
Denise Brown: Definitely, cook. I love the creativity of cooking and really there is no glory in the clean-up.
Regina Lewie: Clean up; I do not like to cook! I find washing the dishes rather relaxing.
Tammy Cantrell: I would prefer to have to clean up and do the dishes after the holiday meaI. I think it’s too stressful to plan a big meal for lots of people that also pleases everyone, especially when some are vegetarians.
Melissa Ashley: Although I try to simplify cooking the holiday meal with many pre-made items, coordinating everything to be ready and warm at the same time is still quite stressful. Therefore, I would probably prefer to handle the dish duty. In reality, I end up doing both cooking and cleaning, so focusing on just one task would actually be a nice change.
Prashanta Pradhan: We would rather cook the big holiday meal every year. We find joy in preparing food that brings everyone together. With our favorite holiday songs playing, cooking becomes a festive activity. Plus, we enjoy the creative process of cooking more than cleaning up afterward.
Would you rather have to put up outdoor Christmas lights for all your neighbors or wrap all the holiday presents for extended family members?
Christine Mayes: Neither. These both sound awful but if I had to pick one, I guess lights. It might be cool if the whole neighborhood had the same look for the season, and since I was putting them up, I would make them all coordinate.
Denise Brown: Probably put up the lights. I love to be outside.
Melissa Ashley: I would rather wrap presents because it is a cozy indoor activity. I can light the fireplace, listen to holiday tunes, and make all the gifts look pretty. Definitely beats dangling from a ladder and trying to find a way to attach lights to outdoor structures in the freezing cold.
Regina Lewie: So, fortunately, I have a wonderful husband that puts up the lights and loves to wrap the presents. He sets up his “Santa Workshop,” puts on the holiday music, and wraps away!
Prashanta Pradhan: We put up two Christmas trees: one indoor and one outdoor. Since we love the activity of decorating—especially putting up our two trees—extending that joy to decorating for the entire neighborhood is exciting. It's a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer and bring the community together. The process of creating festive displays outside is something we genuinely enjoy, and it aligns perfectly with our tradition of embracing the holiday spirit through decoration.
Tammy Cantrell: I would choose to wrap all the holiday presents for extended family members. I love coordinating wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons with each gift to make it special and festive.
Which holiday carol gets stuck in your head the most?
Christine Mayes: “Angels We Have Heard on High”
Denise Brown: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Regina Lewie: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Tammy Cantrell: “Jingle Bells”
Melissa Ashley: “Carol of the Bells.” I don’t mind having it stuck in my head because it is such a beautiful song.
Prashanta Pradhan: It's hard to pick just one because we love so many! "Deusi and Bhailo" carols from Nepal, "Gong Xi Fa Cai" celebrating Chinese New Year, and classics like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" all get stuck in my head. We have them all on a continuous Spotify playlist that we play while cooking and spending time together, so they tend to blend into a joyful mix.
What are you most looking forward to this season? Least looking forward to?
Tammy Cantrell: I’m looking forward to spending the night at my daughter’s house so that I can be there in the morning when the grandbabies get up. I’m least looking forward to putting up all the Christmas decorations and then having to take them all down a month later.
Melissa Ashley: Since our daughter now has a full-time job in Cleveland and our boys headed off to college this past Fall, we are empty nesters. So, I am beyond excited to have all of them back home for the holidays!
Christine Mayes: My brother and his wife are going to be welcoming a new baby right before Thanksgiving, so I’m really looking forward to meeting him/her for the first time! It will be so exciting to have a new member of the family! I’m least looking forward to losing the tonnage gained after the season.
Prashanta Pradhan: This season, I'm most looking forward to blending Nepali, Malaysian, Chinese, and American traditions with my family. We put up a Christmas tree, exchange gifts, conduct puja, and cherish our time together. Cooking while our Spotify playlist of favorite holiday songs plays in the background makes it even more special. I'm least looking forward to the hectic holiday preparations and navigating crowded stores.
Denise Brown: I’m most looking forward to time spent with family and watching everyone open gifts. I’m not looking forward to taking down all the decorations afterward.
Regina Lewie: I love sitting in the living room with just the Christmas lights on and watching the movie “White Christmas.” I’m least looking forward to stressing out over picking just the right gift for my family members.
What is your best tip to stay calm and unstressed during the holidays?
Denise Brown: Exercise!
Regina Lewie: Keep it simple and enjoy the time with family and friends, even if it’s through FaceTime.
Tammy Cantrell: Make sure you do more of the things that make you happy, and remember to take time for yourself each day, whether that’s having quiet time, taking a walk, or reading a book.
Prashanta Pradhan: My best tip is to focus on the joy of blending our diverse traditions and spending quality time with loved ones. Engaging in activities we love—like decorating our two Christmas trees and playing our favorite holiday songs—helps set a joyful tone. Setting aside moments for relaxation and reflection, whether it's through meditation, a walk, or simply enjoying quiet time together, helps me stay calm and centered during the busy holiday season.
Melissa Ashley: I make a conscious effort not to sweat the small stuff. Instead, I focus on feeling grateful and blessed for the life I have, surrounded by wonderful family and friends.
Christine Mayes: Remember all that really matters is having the opportunity to be with the ones you love. Everything else is just noise. No one cares if your house is perfect or if you burned the stuffing. Well, they might care about the stuffing, but they will get over it.
May you and your loved ones have a joyous and peaceful holiday season filled with warmth, happiness, and cherished moments.