Gratitude and Giving for the Holidays

A message to our readers from members of the CSWA and editors of AASWomen: As we enter the holiday season in the United States and other parts of the world, we wish everyone health and happiness.

In a tradition going back almost 10 years (and maybe longer), Women in Astronomy is providing a gift-giving guide to help you with your holiday shopping. Links and ideas are listed below and feel free to tell us about your favorite gifts in the Comments section.

STARtorialist continues to provide a universe of Astro-fashion! STARtorialist is a women-owned small business founded by professional astronomers to curate space- and science-themed products, support independent designers, and contribute to STEM education and outreach. New (to me) this year? JWST-themed drinking glasses (and more!), JWST-themed clothing, and Artemis items.

Image Credit: Dreamtime

Space.com recently posted its 2023 list of best telescopes. Check out the guide from Sky & Telescope first, though, so the telescope doesn't end up as a doorstop. 

Sky & Telescope magazine offers annual print and digital subscriptions and a variety of  maps and globes in its shop. Speaking of maps and globes, check out Mova's light-powered rotating globes! The lucky recipient will think them out of this world!

For the youngsters (and those young at heart), A Mightly Girl, which boasts "the world's largest collection of books, toys and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls", continues to have a wide selection of science toys and kits, free (yes, FREE!) posters celebrating women role models and mighty women in STEM, and children's book about girls and women in science. Crazed about Barbie? Mattel's Career Dolls series includes scientists, pilots, and doctors.

Penguin Random House publishers has a list of "Stellar Books That Take Place in Space"; space.com published its best books for 2023; and Goodreads has a list of popular space books. Are your favorite books on any of these lists? If not, add the title and author in the Comments section.

Perhaps you know someone who just needs to get away. Maybe that someone is you. Check out some locations that support astrotourism. Going Cosmic, "a one-stop global forum for all aspects of astrotourism... that provide[s] a range of unique features to help celebrate our world and others", has a list of unusual holiday ideas to add stargazing to your travel plans.

Image Credit: mamacheaps.com

Or maybe staying in is the holiday gift. Marie Claire published a list of the 44 best space movies of all time. Buy some space candy, make some galaxy popcorn, and settle in!

BTW, the Van Cleef and Arpels astronomical watch (with accurate orbits of the planets around the Sun), which we mentioned in our 2016 Holiday Gift Guide, is still available. Just sayin'.

Need more ideas? Check out GeekWrapped's best space & astronomy gifts, and NASA's on-line Space Shop lets you shop, well, for space things. Finally, an extensive list with other ideas was posted in our 2014 Holiday Gift-giving Guide, so check that out, too!