VCU

In early 2009, Spirit of St. Louis Credit Union merged with Vantage Credit Union, and we added the Des Peres branch (along with the Eureka branch), bringing our branch total to 16 locations.

Since that time, circumstances have changed a bit. In addition to restrictive legislation, no one can argue that the national economy has been slow in its recovery from a historic downturn. These developments have presented new pressures that require our attention, along with some difficult, though prudent decisions, to ensure our continued stability and growth.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!

Who hasn’t heard the holiday classic, O Tannenbaum (translated to O Christmas Tree from its traditional German carol roots)? It’s a staple of any 24-hour holiday music radio station. Did you ever wonder why you bring an evergreen into your home each Christmas and decorate it with twinkling lights colorful ornaments? We thought it would be fun to explore and share why this tradition has become central to the Christmas holiday!

Pilgrims. Pumpkin pie. Turkey. They’re all a part of the last Thursday of November, a date reserved for giving thanks on a very aptly named holiday—Thanksgiving. It all started when a batch of restless English separatists (better known as Pilgrims) set sail from Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. They were searching for more civil and religious freedom.

The trans-Atlantic trip was made aboard the Mayflower, a cargo ship just over 100 feet long. The trip was a grueling affair with 102 passengers (and 30 crew members) covering 2,750 miles in 66 days. The freedom seekers landed on the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on November 11, 1620, and spent that first winter aboard the ship. It was a perilous winter with nearly half of the Pilgrims dying.

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the world rejoiced. World War I was over. To celebrate, President Woodrow Wilson set aside November 11 as Armistice Day, which became Veterans Day in 1954.

Do you know a veteran? It’s likely we’ve all come in contact with an assortment of veterans at some point in our lives. Our grandfathers, our fathers (or mothers), brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers, the meat-cutter at the grocery store, the guy who helped you find the right nut for that pesky bolt. You get the idea. They’re everywhere, and many have been everywhere watching over our national security.