Editor's note: There's so much that's beautiful, funny, smart and informative on the Internet. Problem is, there's also a bunch of garbage. Here's the best of the web right now:
1. Ten amazing Christmas life hacks. When you're a kid, the hardest thing about Christmas is falling asleep the night before, knowing full well the bounty of presents awaiting you. But as you get older, the holidays include a lot more chores than treats. For those struggling to wrap all the gifts, cook all the cookies and keep that Christmas cheer going strong, check out these time- and cost-saving tips.
2. Star Wars joins Instagram and is instantly a hit. December 2 marked Star Wars' first post on the photo social network. Twenty-four hours later, the account had 103,000 followers. [Insert your own force-is-strong-with-this-one joke here.]
3. The truth behind that epic note-passing war on a Thanksgiving flight. If you haven't heard of Elan Gale's passive aggressive plane fight with Diane from 7A, catch up here. In the end, it would appear the whole exchange was manufactured humor from the mind of a (conceivably very bored) ABC producer. In a dark twist befitting an Internet hoax story, someone decided the fictional Diane had cancer.
4. Fifteen Giving Tuesday campaigns making a difference. Whether you want to bring youth sports teams to the developing world, typhoon relief to the Philippines or Christmas cards to prisoners, Giving Tuesday is the time to do it. Created in 2012, the Tuesday after Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) is dedicated to philanthropy.
5. Unbelievable close-up photos of snowflakes reveal a side of winter you've never seen. It may not be snowing in Dallas just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the beauty of a winter wonderland from the warmth of our computers. Russian photographer Alexey Kljatov is the genius behind the intricate photos, and he's even created a bilingual DIY guide. Spacibo!
A new photography method gets up close and personal with snowflakes.
