25 for 2025

IrishRose12

Merry Christmas everyone!  Hope you all had a lovely day yesterday and are enjoying your Christmas. 
Now it is Christmas I'm looking forward to relaxing and hopefully ticking a few more things off my list before the new Year.  
I love the 12 days Christmas period as it's a time to look forward to the coming year and see what positive changes I can make.  It also gives me a chance to recharge ready for work again on the 6th.


This is my update for the past few weeks.  A few more things hopefully to mark off within the next week, and I'm debating on my 2026 list. I can't decide whether to make a list of 26 things, or mix it up and do 20 things 26 times. I'm still debating lol.  

1. Do 25 fun activities with family. (23/25)
2. Go out for 25 walks (25/25) COMPLETE
3. Lose 25lbs. (15/25) 
4. Read 25 books. (10/25)
5. Save 25 of each domination of coin (if I can find £2's lol) 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2, £5, £10, £20 COMPLETE
6. Treat myself 25 times this year. (25/25) COMPLETE
7. Watch 25 new to me films (6/25)
8. Chill Out activity (17/25) 
9. Declutter 25 bags or boxes of unwanted items from the house. (25/25) COMPLETE
10. Knit 25 items. (0/25)
11. Spend 25mins sorting out my emails and photos. COMPLETE
12. Make 25th of the month a "me" day. (12/12) COMPLETE
13. Complete 25 DIY jobs in the house. (10/25)
14. Make 25 visits to the local church. (32/25)  COMPLETE
15. Make 25 extra payments to my debts. (17/25)
16. 25mins of Gardening. (25/25) COMPLETE
17. Use up 25 toiletries from the stash. (24/25)
18. Tell myself "NO" 25 times. (23/25)
19. Make or bake 25 items. (6/25) 
20. Sell 25 pins from my collection. (54/25)  COMPLETE - SMASHED THIS ONE 
21. Learn 25 new things this year. (6/25)
22. Spend 25mins per month checking 1st aid and medical supplies - COMPLETE
23. Listen to 25 pieces of classical music. (20/25)
24. Research 25 new DIY/life skills (4/25)
25. Clean 25 cupboards and corners in the house. (10/25)

eltee2

Afternoon all

Final update from me


• 25 books - 33/25

• 25 Volunteering sessions - 31/25

• 25 deep clean/declutter tasks - 19/25

• 25 films - 72/25

• 250 GBP clothes budget - £252/£250

• 25 mins weekly meal planning - ongoing

• 25 gardening sessions - 33/25

• 25 new recipes - 31/25

• 25 post-SW WI sessions - 37/25

• 25lbs weight loss - 5.5/25😫

Enjoy the remainder of Christmas, see you in 2026

DundeeDoll

Wednesday donation to the foodbank (my 24th),Thursday celebrated Christmas (my 25th celebration), Friday a lovely meal with friends who live a little way away which helped me walking 27051 steps (my 25th 25k steps in one day) and we finished the meal with a tot of whisky (my 25th this year) and today coffee with colleagues and made an origami star (25th make of the year). Although i've already chalked up 25 litter picks, i have been counting how many items each time and continues - i'm now up to 1850 so very hopeful of picking up 2025 before the year end. And now to finish my 25th translated book of the year which will leave me with one more donation to the foodbank, one more origami make and 175 more items of litter to pick. 

suzeesu2000

Well that’s me done for the year!

Managed some way better than I thought I would. The weight loss is not as much as I hoped but it’s still a stone so I’m good with that. 

Have written out my 26 for 2026, really had a big think about them too. 

So. See you all on 26 for 2026! And well done to all. 

DundeeDoll

That's my 25th translated book finished - the secrets of the wild wood
So all I have left now is a final donation to the food bank and one more origami make for 25 of each
And 175 more pieces of litter picked up and disposed of to reach 2025. 
Time to walk the dog (he very much enjoys our litter picks)

thechubbyunicorn

Week 52 update...

4. Eat 25 different cakes / desserts - profiteroles 
5. Walk 2025km - 42.28km 
7. Send 25 cards / gifts to others - 2
12. 25 new experiences / outings / activities with kids from work - Edinburgh Zoo Giant Lanterns 
16. Post 2025 photos to Instagram - 12 
17. Watch 25 movies I've never seen before - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / I Swear 
20. Walk along 25 different beaches - Silverknowes / Granton 

Just one more wee update on the 31st to go and 2025 will be over!

DundeeDoll

another litter walk, another 80 items picked up so that's 1930 in total this year. Will I manage 2025 before the year end? (also went shopping for dog food and milk and totally forgot to pick up stuff for the foodbank bother so still got 1 more foodbank donation and 1 more origami)

mandco

Updates in bold any I’ve hit or exceeded my target I’ve marked as complete 
donate to food banks 25 times -  21/25. Complete
buy 25 items to donate to Xmas toy appeal - some great deals in the sales 32/25 complete 
Declutter boxes/drawers 22/25 complete 
declutter/donate items -18/25 complete
Positive Mh journal entries -0/25 
days out -12/25. 20/25 21/25 complete
eat out 25 times -8/25. 10/25 12/25
try new restaurants -3/25 4/25. 6/25
try new recipes - 2/25 5/25 8/25
loose 25lbs -6/25
recycle items via boots recycling scheme 21/25 24/25 complete 
NSD -17/25.  28/25 complete 
sell items on vinted ect - 54/25 complete
Buy money neutral gifts ( buy using money from selling items/reward points) 17/25 24/25 complete
Complete arts/crafts activities -  2/25 3/25 12/25
play board/card games with the kids - 8/25 10/25 16/25
spend at Least 25 mins building Lego - 2/25 6/25 10/25
Print 100 photos 25 times - 0/25 
listen to 2025 new songs -  532/2025 601/2025
25 Xmas themed activities - 2/25 4/25 complete 
Spend at least 25 mins researching a new topic/item - 6/25
try 25 new activities 3/25  6/25 7/25 - fire walk 8/25
visit 25 museums/art galleries ect 2/25
complete 25 sports sessions/workouts 0/25 
read 25 books 7/25

overall I’m pretty happy with what I achieved this year some goals were very optimistic 2025 new songs - actually quite surprised at how many I did actually manage  which was an average of 50 per month. others were more about pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying new things and while I didn’t hit target definitely incentivised me to at least try instead of simply choosing the default familiar choice.

congrats to every on what they achieved this year 

DundeeDoll

just made a 'fold your own christmas decoration' christmas tree so that is my 25th make. COMPLETE.
Another litter pick, another 88 items picked up, only another 7 to go. 
And still one more donation to the foodbank. 
Tomorrow is another day

DundeeDoll

As the year draws to an end time for me to sum up and reflect on my 20 25s for 2025. I have just returned from my final foodbank donation - walking there I picked up 16 items of litter so that's all my challenges complete.

25K steps in one day - these ranged from 25000 – 30500

B&W films: 1984; A hard day's night; A house in Bayswater; A woman's secret; Bachelor Knight; Damsel in distress; Dark Victory; Double dynamite; Edge of the world; Farewell my lovely; Holiday Affair; I know where I'm going; Jungle green Borneo; Letter from an unknown woman; Marble Arch to Edgeware; Marriage today; Now, voyager; Odette; On call to the nation; Paris 13th district; Primrose path; Sylvia Scarlett; The diary of Anne Frank; The Sky's the limit; The War Game

Ballet / opera / plays / concerts: Abba at the cathedral; Aida; Beethoven 6th; Beethoven / Schubert; Billy Muir; DSO autumn concert; DSO summer concert; Dundee chorus; Fidelio; From the shows; Gideon Mac; Grease; Highlights SNO; Hollie McNeish; La nozze di figaro; Lark & Beethoven 5; Mrs Warren's profession; Nicola Bernadetti; Nutcracker; Organ recital; Piano duet; Queen; RSNO Mendelssohn; St Matthew's Passion; V&A summer concert 

Trips to the library: mainly local but also central library. Libraries are wonderful places, very happy to support

Calls to the children: good to catch up with family, will do even more next year though won't be one of my challenges

Celebrations: 50 years of Ronald; Advent; Ash Wednesday; Ba'hai New Year; birthday cocktails; Blair retirement; Catherine 50th; Christening; Christmas; Colin's 75th;Divya retirement; Easter; Epiphany; Good Friday; Graduation; Installation; Jenni birthday; John's 70th; Last choir; Mothers Day; New Year (Ann's); Roy's birthday; Shihab retirement; St Patricks Day; Twinning

Competitions: BBQ; Burley Manor; Cancer Research; Classic FM Oliver's travels & camera; Classicfm pets; Dove; Edinburgh airport; Ercol; Greenwich; Guess the balls; HX expeditions; Iceberg Press; John Lewis; Magnum; Oxfam lottery; Perth Festival; Ray's red hot sauce; Saga; Santander; Scottish Ballet; Scottish book trust; Soap (Simple things); SW Jan; Watergate Bay; YHA (didn't win anything) 

Donations to food bank: mostly UHT milk and shampoo / hair conditioner as Tesco gives a donation based on weight of donations.

Egg recipes: boiled eggs; Carbonara; deconstructed fried eggs with veg; Devilled egg potato salad; Egg curry; Egg fried rice; egg pork rolls; Eggs benedict; Eggs Florence; eggy bread; Fried egg; Hard boiled egg; Hash; Indian scrambled egg; Mexican eggs; Nicoise; Omelette; Poached egg; Savoury oatmeal with cheese and egg; Spanish omelette; Squashy tomato and egg; Stir fry omelette; The full Mexican; Tortilla; warm egg salad

Evensongs listened to: Canterbury; Christ Church Oxford; Edington Priory Church; King’s College Cambridge; Lancing College; London Oratory; Manchester Cathedral; Merton College Oxford; Pembroke; Queens College Oxford; Rugby School; Selwyn College, Cambridge; St George's; St James Picadilly; St John's Advent; St Johns Cambridge; St Johns London; St Lawrence Church, York; St Marys Episcopal Cathedral; St Mary's Pro-cathedral Dublin; St Pauls Knightsbridge; St Peter Bolton-le-Moors; Truro; Wells; Winchester 

Just one thing: 30 minutes piano; Apple a day; Balance on one leg; 80% Chocolate; cold shower; cook from scratch; Count your blessings; cooked tomatoes; Eat slowly; Eccentric exercise; Fitbit; Gardening; Green tea; Ground flax; houseplants; Morning light; Nuts; Plank; Read a poem; reheated carbs; Singing; No sugar; turmeric; walk in the rain; walking backwards

Types of fish / sea food: anchovies; Basa; Bass; Cockles; Cod; Coley; crab; Crayfish; Haddock; herring; Mackerel; Mussels; Oysters; Plaice; Pollock; Prawns; salmon; sardines; Scallops; Sea Bream; Sea worms; squid; Trout; tuna; Yellow fish 

Green in the title: A city crowned with green; Brook Green Street; Green & black; Green & Black radio 4; Green energise drink; Green poem; Green shampoo; Green Street, Forfar; Green tea beer; Green tea exhibition (V&A); Green Thai curry; Greenland (documentary on their football, not the country); Greenlight; Greenman 25; Greensleeves; Jungle green Borneo; Live Green; QI Green; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; The children of Green Knowe; The chimneys of Green Knowe; The green book; The Green Kingdom; The river of Green Knowe; Wear green (for St Patrick’s Day) 

Lectures: 80 years of GWSE; Abigail; Cancer; Gardens of Scotland; Grand round; GWS day; Harm Peter; iTrees; Janti Dass Saggar; Jen; Kevin; less waste laura; Mandy; Med Ed; Mosses; Rachel; Rachel Ellaway; Reith 2; Reith 3; Reith lecture 1; Research day; Rola Ajjawi; Scholarship; Scottish book trust; Shihab retirement lecture

Litter picks – no of items picked up (more than 25 as wanted to reach 2025): 1;1;2;9;10;16;17;18;26;52;54;55;60;62;65;74;80;89;100;100;100;105;106;126;129;135;140;150;153

Makes: origami angelfish; origami Bat; bath fizzer; origami bird; origami Christmas tree; origami diamond; origami dragon; Egg cosy; origami flower; origami heart with wings; origami Hedgehog; origami Jumping frog; origami ladybird; origami Lantern; origami lotus; origami butterflies; origami fortune teller; Origami penguin; origami Rabbit; origami Rose; rubbing; origami standing bird; origami Star; origami Star box; suet bird feeder

Whiskies: Auchtentoshen; Bowmore 12; Bunnahabhain; Classic laddie; Crabbies; Edradour; Famous Grouse; GlenMoray; Glen Dornach; Glen Fiddich 12; Glen Fiddich 18; Glen grant; Glen Livet; Glen Morangie; Glencadam; Glenfiddich 15; Glengoyne; Jura; Laphroigh; Raasay; Robert Burns; Talisker 10; Talisker storm; Tamdhu; Western Gold - a rather delicious challenge!

Pasta book recipes: and another delicious challenge

Runs: much to the delight of my colleague I did indeed join the Wednesday lunchtime run more than 25 times.

Translated books: 3 body problem; A letter to the king: Alone in Berlin: Arabian nights; Blindness; Dead island; Finn family Moomintroll; Hans Christian Anderson; I'm travelling alone; Inkdeath; Inkheart; Inkspell; Monkey; Mrs Pepperpot; Perrault fairy tales; Pippi Longstocking; Snow country; The boy in the headlights; The dream book; The Green Kingdom; The little prince; The owl always hunts at night; The Readers' Room; The Wolf; Wild woods