remember the true meaning & purpose of Christmas

We all have been exchanging holiday gifts for centuries.

Eleanor Robson Belmont

Few remember that only after the ritual became legal in 1680 following a ban by the Pilgrims, who considered it a crass anathema, was it made possible.

By the 19th century Christmas gifts were a firmly entrenched tradition.

Members of The Society for the Prevention

of Useless Giving were known as Spugs

But by 1911, when a few dozen women in New York City formed what would later be called The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, it had reached an early fever pitch.

Read the full article here. Women Rally Against 'Useless' Christmas Giving

Read this and other incredible stories at Atlas Obscura: a definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders. 

the art of movement

This week we are inspired by the stunning images of The Art of Movement, the new coffee table book by photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory aka NYC Dance Project.

Image courtesy of NYC Dance Project

great losses of 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, wonder | wander | world takes pause in our holiday festivities to remember and honor some of the greats we have lost who contributed much to our lives and our world.

Happy trails!

OBITUARIES

The Last Word: John Glenn

By ERIK OLSEN, JOHN SCHWARTZ and TAIGE JENSEN | Dec. 8, 2016 | 6:44

John Glenn, a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, sat down with John Schwartz in 2012 — the 50th anniversary of his flight — to talk about making history and that “beautiful view.”

My Three Days With Fidel

By THE NEW YORK TIMES | Nov. 26, 2016 | 4:57

Richard Eder, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, recalls interviewing the Cuban leader.

Related: 

• Article: Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolutionary Who Defied U.S., Dies at 9
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• After Leonard Cohen’s Death, ‘Hallelujah’ Lives On

• By ROBIN LINDSAY | Nov. 11, 2016 | 1:04

  Leonard Cohen’s most well-known song has found new life through film, television and other musicians.

  Related: 
  

  • Article: Leonard Cohen, Epic and Enigmatic Songwriter, Is Dead at 82

our love-hate relationship with Disney World

This week's find is "Moana" - the new animated film feature of the Walt Disney Company. 

Team WoaWomen have an ongoing love-hate relationship with Disney - we love the graphic art and production design in their animation, no so much the creative license in their fictitious storytelling - 

Especially when it comes to [1] Disney princesses, [2] island folktales, and [3] indigenous tribes - subjects near and dear to us here at wonder | wander | world - we believe they absolutely suck. 

James Welch : path finder to the center of our hearts

Today wonder | wander | world pays tribute in honor of Native American author James Welch, considered a founder of the Native American Renaissance. 

His novel Fools Crow (1986) received several national literary awards, and his debut novel Winter in the Blood (1974) was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 2013. 

In 1997 Welch received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. 

A Google Doodle by artist Sophie Daio was created in honor of what would have been his 76th birthday, watching over the Google home page in a drawing that evokes both his Native American heritage and his award-winning literary career. 

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin! 

on pins & needles

This week's pick on wonder | wander | world is Refinery 29. whose mission is to be the #1 new-media brand for smart, creative and stylish women everywhere.

The corporation is a female centered digital media company providing inspiration and tools to discover and pursue a more independent, stylish, and informed life for the empowered female of today.

celebrating trustworthy news

November 4, 2016 is Walter Cronkite's 100th Birthday. 

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, known as "the most trusted man in America".  

He is best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. 

During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited after being so named in an opinion poll. (Wikipedia). 

With so many opinions today being bandied about - from unsubstantiated facts or hoaxes and outright lies - this is a good reminder for us all.