I’m upstairs getting changed for Christmas dinner. Down below I can hear kids laughing and screaming. The adults are chatting and catching up on the latest news. My mom is working in the kitchen, as usual, but there are many hands to help out.

I pause a moment and reflect on how happy this boisterous family hubbub makes me feel. It wouldn’t be Christmas without the noise and craziness to enhance the love we all share.

And without the crowd — without other people — none of this happens.

Now you, too, take a moment and reflect. How many of your happiest moments — the ones that tell you that you’ve had a wonderful life worth living — how many of them have happened only because you’ve had friends and family around you?

I think in many ways, this is the underlying reason for networking and establishing relationships: It brings more joy to your life.

For those who celebrate, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Let’s all look forward to a prosperous new year.