for the record: Techo Kaigi

It's 2025! Meaning it's time for wonder | wander | women to say goodbye (and thank you) to all the planners and journals we have used this year and joyfully start all new ones for the coming year.

Bullet Journal spread from all the way back in 2020

out with the old

The challenge of the holidays lies between enjoying the season's celebrations while caring and sharing. Often around more than we are generally used to. 

Being able to disengage from our ordinary grind, to unwind in the loving cocoon of family, friends, feasting and maybe even some stillness. 

NYC Bloomberg Tower Christmas Tree 2024

For some of the busiest bodies they can abuse this freed time by adding more and more to their to-do lists. Forgetting the preciousness of being present, in their drive to bring the year to a close and prepare for the next one. 

Holiday sparkle

The holiday season in London has become a festival of lights. The Christmas lights in Regent Street and Piccadilly are special tourist attractions, with their Spirit of Christmas theme.

Regent Street's Spirit of Christmas

holiday rituals

Sunday, December 15 was the third Sunday of Advent this holiday season. It also marked the beginning of the dawn masses nine days before Christmas. In our barrios back home this is a big family tradition for many of its practitioners. 

Simbang Gabi, Misa de Aguinaldo, and Misa de Gallo are commonly interchanged to refer to these nine masses. Even when history shows that this was not originally so. 

Day 1 of Misa de Aguinaldo Novena, San Sbastian Cathedral, Bacolod City
- image by Andrew Altarejos

The novena masses held at dawn from December 15 to 24 are properly called Misas de Aguinaldo. They originated in Spain where “Aguinaldo” means a gift given during the Christmas season. 

Misa de Aguinaldo should not be confused with Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) which in Spain referred to Mass on Christmas Eve.

cozy indoor drawing

wonder | wander | women spent the weekend hunkered down as Storm Darragh rampaged through the UK, bringing driving rain and wind speeds of up to 50kph. It brought back memories of bagyo (typhoons) back home...at least we didn't lose power here, so we spent the weekend playing cosily at home instead of our usual walks and errands.

there goes the sun...