During the holiday season, most of us spend time with family, celebrate traditions and reflect. One of my family traditions is going to look at all the delightful Christmas lights in our community. Recently, we were visiting New York City. Along our travels we got to see Rockefeller Center, known for their ice rink and home of New York City’s famous Christmas tree. Growing up in New York, it is a tradition to watch the lighting of the beautifully adorned tree. This ceremony has always held symbolic meaning and memories for me. This time it was a far different experience. The tree was not yet decorated. In fact it was surrounded by scaffolding with several crews working vigorously to hand trim. They used pulleys to remove the large branches. As I stood in awe, I realized that in all those years of watching the tree being lit up, I never truly appreciated it. Never did it dawn on me how much work went into creating that special moment. From selecting the tree of honor, navigating the tree down 
the busy streets of New York, hand trimming the branches, to hanging thousands of lights, not once did I consider what it took to make this happen. Thinking about all of that, I began to realize how much of daily life I take for granted because I only enjoy/benefit from the end results of someone else’s hard work.
In that moment, I wondered where else was I not fully appreciating the process of life. I started to think of how food gets into our homes, from the planting of the seed, cultivating it with water and nutrients, harvesting and processing, to packaging for travel to the destination of the grocery store. I thought of all the people it involves to bring water, electric and indoor plumbing to our homes. I contemplated the luxury of having cell phones and being able to travel the world in seconds through the internet. In this moment it dawned on me that as much as sometimes I think, “I do it myself” that there is really no truth in that statement. The fact is “it takes a village to …..” fill in the blank.
During this time of celebration, reflection and renewing, what do you plan to create or see in the New Year? May 2017 bring you abundance in all areas of your life! Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous year!
Xoxo,
Claudia
