What a wonderful time of year it is, a time to winter (as a verb) - to come inside, gather around community and remember what matters most to us all.  For so much of our lives, we’re so busy that we often don't notice the world around us, much less take time to appreciate it.  

As you cook family meals, host Friendsgiving or prepare your New Year’s resolutions, we would like to encourage you to take a moment to think about the parts of life we don’t often see.  Whether it's the aunt who cooked the casserole or the cousin who made the chocolatey dessert, these people are what celebrating the holidays are all about.  There are more people, though, who have helped put that food on your table.  Maybe your neighbor made the banana pudding, but there was a grocery store clerk to stock the ingredients, a truck driver who transported them and many hands in the process of growing them all. 

Remember the farmers who grow the coffee beans that fill your morning mug, the cacao that flavors your favorite treats or the cinnamon that warms your holiday chai and pumpkin pie. These individuals work tirelessly, often in challenging conditions, to bring us the flavors and comforts we love. These are the hands behind our traditions. Fairtrade America exists to celebrate the stories of the farmers behind the products you purchase.  This holiday season, we encourage you to shop Fairtrade when you’re looking for cinnamon for your pumpkin pie or coffee for Tio Eduardo’s cafecito so that you can celebrate a warm holiday with your loved ones while farmers do the same.  Give a gift that sees and celebrates the people behind the product.