You may remember me saying not long ago that I was not planning to do a Calendar Post this year. I’d been doing them for over a decade, so it felt weird to stop, but I wanted to stop so I thought I would stop. I particularly liked Allison‘s comment: “I will miss the calendar post, but I am all for people quitting things that don’t serve them anymore, and not doing things just because they have always been done.”
YES. I too am all for that!! We can stop doing Christmas cards, if we don’t want to do them anymore, or we can do them just on the years we feel like it! We can taper off on that tradition of buying each kid a new ornament every year, if it starts not making sense anymore! We can make gingerbread houses every year if we want to, or we can make them just some years, or we can stop making them, or we can tell the other people in the household that if THEY want to make them so badly THEY can be the ones to run that gigantic messy project and clean up after it! We can send Paul’s sister a box of See’s chocolates each year for four years and then stop doing it and send a different treat instead! We can do a certain thing every year or every month or every week, and then we can just…STOP. So I felt relief about the calendar post. I felt good about the decision. I added “I am all for people quitting things that don’t serve them” to my personal philosophy.
Well, but then I started putting calendar options in my cart, and I found I was feeling the urge to post the options, to show you and/or to get your opinion and/or so that maybe we’d be calendar twins next year. Which is how the calendar posts started originally! At this point I only need one for my kitchen, but back then I had multiple calendars to buy: I used to buy one for my kitchen, and one for by my desk, plus one for each kid bedroom—so there were a LOT of calendars to consider. And then I got really into it and started looking for more options, calendars I wasn’t myself considering but thought other people might like to consider, maybe some amusing or whimsical options.
Which doesn’t mean it has to be done that way forever! I can go back and do a reduced version of the original way—which would also combine well with what commenter Lauren suggested, which is that maybe we could do a sort of DIY calendar post where people could still talk in the comments about what they’re choosing this year. Well, that sounds just perfect. Those of us who still buy wall calendars are a SHRINKING SUBPOPULATION, and I too would still like to hear about what the rest of you are getting. So I will just show the calendars I am considering this year, without making a big PRODUCTION out of it, and everyone else who’s interested can talk about the calendars they’re considering/buying this year.
(image from Amazon.com)
Annie Soudain calendar. I appreciate art that lines up with the seasons, and I like these pictures. So I can’t explain why every time I look at the pictures I get a little negative adrenaline. It shouldn’t be happening! But it is. And this is going to be an election year, and last election year I got stress hives for months, so let’s reduce adrenaline where we can, even if it is inexplicable adrenaline that makes no sense.
(image from Amazon.com)
Joyful Landscapes calendar. This seems more soothing. Perhaps it is a little trite? But I like the colors, and there’s lots to look at in each picture, and I am not looking for, like, ART THAT SHOCKS YOU AND MAKES YOU THINK this year. There is nothing wrong with pleasant and mild.
(image from Amazon.com)
Feline: Terry Runyan’s Cats calendar. I have had this calendar twice before, and have been very happy with it both times. I don’t know if I would repeat a calendar a third time, but it’s a known hit and that’s hard to refuse completely, and also there are a couple particularly charming pages this year.
(image from Amazon.com)
Esté Macleod calendar. This is another one I’ve successfully bought twice, so it’s unlikely I would choose it again so soon and yet I don’t want to automatically dismiss it. But the art is giving me an inexplicable adrenalized feeling like the Annie Soudain (I think for a non-election year I would experience it as “stimulating,” but anxiety is warping it), and those two things combined are enough for me to remove it from the cart for this upcoming year—but I wanted to mention it in case you wanted to consider it, because I did enjoy it the other two years.
(image from Amazon.com)
There are at least three (one! two! three!) William Morris wall calendars, and my inability to prefer one over the others may be what prevents me from buying any of them. But one of my most surprisingly satisfying calendars EVER was a wallpaper calendar, so I don’t want to be too quick to get discouraged.
(image from Amazon.com)
Praise for the Pollinators calendar. I like the pictures and I like the VARIETY of the pictures.
(image from Amazon.com)
Royal Academy of Arts calendar. This calendar gets even more points for variety: I like that every page is a different artist.
(image from Amazon.com)
Orders of the Animals calendar. Lots of interesting things to look at, and I like the overall style of the art, and I feel as if I’d learn something.
Okay, that’s it! What I will do now is keep looking at them in my cart (or I keep re-reading this post), and what usually happens next is I start feeling “I just don’t WANT that one, even though I SHOULD and sort of DO!” about some of them, and eventually I think “I just WANT that one, and I don’t know why!” about ONE, and then I buy it.
If you are one of the wall-calendar group: What are you buying this year, and/or what is your calendar-choosing strategy?
Oh, I really like the Orders of the Animals calendar, it’s gorgeous! I thought I was all set in my calendar choice this year, I had decided on one by a local photographer featuring pictures of Letchworth State Park, and the proceeds went to help build an autism nature trail at the park that was disability-friendly. The pictures are gorgeous, and I was happy with my choice. (https://omnidon-productions.company.site/2024-John-Kucko-Digital-Scenic-Calendar-p564681764)
And then I found another calendar that my sons will find hilarious, and my husband convinced me to get it instead. I’m afraid I’ll regret it. Still nature pics, but basically nature’s dick pics. (Basically mountains and towers that are phallic shaped.) We’ll see how it goes, I have the feeling I’ll be tired of it by the end of the year. (https://naturesdickpics.com/product/natures-dick-pics-calendar/)
I might have to add my Letchworth State Park calendar back on my list for next year. 🙂
Hello fellow western NY’er (I assume)! That calendar is cool, and I love Letchworth.
Also waves in Western NY! If you haven’t seen Keith Walters’ pics of Letchworth and Upstate, his work is definitely worth checking out.
We don’t buy a wall calendar but every year we gather up the free ones that come in the mail and choose one for the kitchen. And almost every year it’s the one from the Washington Post with photos from around the DC metro area. The picture on the December page right now is of snow-covered branches taken in my town, which is pleasing even though you can’t really tell where it was taken. I have one from the Ocean Conservancy at my desk. December is a photograph of an octopus.
Well!!!! This was very helpful!!!!
I had been *planning* to make a Shutterfly calendar (as I did for 2023 and 2022), but I am realizing I DON’T WANT TO. So I won’t! I will buy the illustrated Order of Animals and be satisfied.
Yay!
I don’t buy calendars but I most heartily buy Alison’s (and now, your) philosophy of “I am all for people quitting things that don’t serve them anymore, and not doing things just because they have always been done.” This year Husband has been moving his five-room office suite home as he downsizes (I may need to be sedated), then we’ll be spending Christmas with the clan out of state, so I am not decorating. Not one bit. And I may regret that as Christmas draws closer but so far it has been an immense relief.
I hear you on the no decorating! We (empty nesters) decorated last year ONLY because our daughter was coming for Christmas and she appreciates it. This year, we (I) decided to take the three of us to Montreal for Christmas, and one of my first thoughts was, “Hooray, we don’t need to do a tree!” We did get a wreath, and I think that will be the extent of our holiday decorating.
My mother, now that I host Christmas, decorates her mantel with the decorations she has had since her own childhood and sets up her favorite nativity set. That’s it. I assume the decorations from my childhood are still living in her attic, but it’s been a decade since she was interested in getting them down.
I hang one in my kitchen and we don’t write in it anymore but I find it pleasing to look over when cooking dinner or packing lunches to check dates. My typical MO has been to force my family to shop for one with me between Christmas and New Years as like a little transitiony family activity but I found a perfect punny one yesterday while Christmas shopping and impulsively procured it.
I love a good wall calendar! I’m on year three of ordering this one from Etsy. I love it and it’s witchy nature themes. I find the art soothing and not too busy or overwhelming.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1565031979/how-the-light-gets-in-a-2024-calendar-of
For the second year in a row, I got my sister this now sold out calendar. The boxes are too small for my needs, but the art is perfectly sized for framing. I love the bright colors and the simple landscape themes. https://www.jessfranksart.com/calendar/2024-jess-franks-calendar
Now I need to suck it up and make the yearly photo calendar for my parents. I usually don’t get it done until January. Oops.
Thank you for the Etsy calendar recommendation! I just bought it :)
I’m a wall calendar person and use it to track various things all year. This year I sent a calendar link to my husband and told him to buy it for Christmas and I’d forget about it. And it worked! I can’t for the life of me remember what it was!
For the third year in a row I also ordered the Miniature Life weekly calendar from Japan, which brings me immeasurable joy: https://miniature-calendar.com/2024calendar
My wife and I were in the Scottish Highlands earlier this year and bought next year’s calendar in a tiny shop in ardnamuirchan. It’s photos of puffins, which my wife particularly likes. Last year we had a cute rats calendar which I loved, and this year we have had an art calendar from an artist that she admires but I don’t love. I’m going to insist that I get to choose the calendar for 2025.
I love a good wall calendar- this year I had the bright idea of asking my brother/sister in law to pick out one when they asked for gift ideas for me. That way it will be a surprise, and if I don’t like it, I can use it somewhere else or give it away. I’ll still need one for my home office, so these are good suggestions.
Well, I was all set to order another Nathalie Lété calendar this year—I had one last year after seeing it on your post and it was quite possibly my favorite calendar ever. But now I am looking at the Orders of the Animals calendar and I’m conflicted.
Upon closer inspection, the Orders of the Animals calendar is a 16-month calendar that’s already past its start date, so I’d have to skip the first few months. That might be an automatic dealbreaker for me. But now I’m looking at the Praise for the Pollinators calendar instead…hmmmmmmm.
Don’t let that put you off: LOTS of calendars for some reason say they are 16-month / start the previous September, but they don’t have actual individual pages for those months, just one starter page with all four months on the same page. I don’t know why they do this. Maybe for people who are brand-new to calendars?
I’ve gotten the Feathered Friends watercolor calendar for three years in a row now, but I got a new one for 2024 based on a comment on your original ‘not going to do a calendar post’ post, A Wonderful World! I’m super excited.
Feathered Friends:
https://www.amazon.com/Feathered-Friends-2024-Wall-Calendar/dp/163136992X/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1Q00LIE338X41&keywords=feathered+friends&qid=1702055965&sprefix=feathered+friends%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-4
A Wonderful World:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHSH1VPX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
My partner likes Guinea Pigs, so we alternate between one from Guinea Pig Adventures (cute posed piggies) and Piggie Paradies (Guinea pigs in famous scenes/movie posters, etc.). But the best part is they are European, which means the first day of the week (or wheek, lol) is Monday. I love having the two weekend days next to each other.
I’m making a photo wall calendar for a family member and think I will get one for myself. A second option would be one from Vieler Photography. The photographer takes hilarious photos of dogs catching treats and I am so charmed by them. Check out the instagram account with that name if you’re having a bad day and need a laugh.
I/we don’t usually order a ‘real’ family calendar but The Order of the Animals one is wonderful – I love Pretty Art + Learning Something and I have a daughter interested in studying biology so it seems it would be a good family fit. It is currently unavailable in Canada but I will keep a look out for something similar.
Thanks Swistle!
I also got the “A Wonderful World!” Calendar from the original ‘not going to do a calendar post’ post!
Then I forgot to read the dimensions and bought this one for next to my bed (way too big; I’ll use it in my office): https://riflepaperco.com/2024-flower-studies-wall-calendar
I hang two at a time over my desk at work, this month and next month. For 2024 I have the pollinators calendar up and I’m still waffling about what the other should be. It’s replacing Goats in Trees, which I didn’t enjoy as much as expected. I could do another national parks calendar which is a perennial favorite, but I’m wanting something more whimsical.
Not a wall calendar, but I thought I’d share. I bought this page a day type desk calendar on clearance in February this year, and we have THOROUGHLY enjoyed it at work. Obviously depends on your workplace, but I highly recommend it. Less as a calendar and more as an…almost like an advent calendar? Something to look forward to every day.
A F*cking 2024 Boxed Calendar: A Daily Dose of Zero F*cks (Funny Daily Desk Calendar, White Elephant Gag Gift for Adults) (Calendars & Gifts to Swear By) https://a.co/d/0IVuzLQ
I already have bought three wall calendars, which is probably one more than I need but shrug. I always get the Boston Bruins wall calendar to hang in the living room (where I watch the games on TV), and the Sandra Boynton one for my office. (I used to love her page-a-day one, which sadly is no more.) Then the new one for me this year, which I saw somewhere on social media (yours, perhaps?) is the Museum Bums calendar, which I foresee giving me many smiles in the coming year.
I like travel photos or vintage travel posters for my kitchen wall (adds a bit of colour and life and daydream fodder); this year I ordered one with photos of beautiful locations around the world. And for my desk area it’s the Ultimate Family Calendar this year, mainly because I wanted the stickers. And both were <$15, which was a significant factor in selection. (I won’t bother linking because it’s Amazon Canada.)
Also enough space to write in the boxes is a huge factor. Yes, I use Google Calendar like a normal person, but I do MUCH better if I can ALSO write everything out on the wall calendar because I am a visual learner/absorber/retainer of information.
Ahem. You know. some of us are also from Canada and would extra-appreciate Canadian links! Just sayin’.
I must spread the gospel of the calendars that the artist Nikki McClure produces each year. They are based on her X-acto knife paper cuts. They fill me with so much hope/peace/inspiration (but note, they are NOT practical for writing on! I think of it more as a mini poster that changes each month). And the old calendars can be used for a variety of art projects, wrapping paper, etc. or just hang/frame a favorite page! https://www.nikkimcclure.com/calendararchive
I’ve ordered this letterpress calendar for years now:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1579749719/2024-letterpress-calendar?click_key=bc2bda424754a28747e4d575cbb736b03b3511b3%3A1579749719&click_sum=f92e4ebd&ref=shop_home_feat_3&frs=1
It’s different every year and always beautiful and seasonal. No boxes to write in, so just for decoration.
As mentioned in the “no calendar post” post, I am missing out on a Big Trip to Norway next year, so I got this one https://www.calendarclub.ca/products/norway-wall-prd202403950 from the pop-up calendar booth in the mall.
Last year I had a No Writing Squares one of lovely pictures from our local area, but I still need squares!
I bought two calendars for my 31-year-old daughter this year.
This one, because it popped up on my feed and it seemed like just the thing. Mushrooms, moons.
https://pione.co/products/2024-dark-forest-lunar-calendar
It comes from a sketchy-looking site based in China, with other calendars that are maybe inappropriate, so shield your eyes if you go there.
And this one, because she lives in Philadelphia and seems charmed by the hockey mascot, Gritty:
https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/first-ever-gritty-calendar-benefitting-flyers-charities-on-sale-now
It’s a little fussy to order because you have to go to (and register at) their ticket selling site, and it’s not at all clear that you’ve done it correctly, and then it takes a while for the calendar to arrive, but it all worked out!
I don’t need as many wall calendars this coming year, either. C always gets a vintage ski posters calendar for his office. A few years ago I did the Sandra Boynton calendar two years in a row. I adore Sandra and loved the pictures but they took up too much space in the squares. And the pictures didn’t change that much between the 2 years. So then I had a Kwaii Kitties calendar which was nice and kind of soothing but maybe also a little boring. This year’s calendar is a Pun a Day calendar. I don’t like it as much as I thought I would.
I’m so glad you changed your mind about doing a calendar post. Even the toned-down version is still very helpful to me for picking a calendar for next year. Especially with all the comments with more calendar suggestions. Who knows who I might end up being calendar twins with!
Thank you! This just spurred me to buy a calendar. I like to make photo ones but that’s so much work and it’s just a weight of my mind to order one. I went with: Graphique 2024 Fancy Feathers Wall Calendar: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/166482085X/
Almost went with Feathered Friends instead: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/163136992X/
But ran both by my 12 year old son and we liked the Fancy Feathers one because it had a blue budgie in it and we have budgies. My son also liked another of the parrots.
I did enjoy looking at your choices and particularly like the Orders of the Animals one. Also Annie Soudain Wall Calendar 2024 is lovely too.
I have bought the Nikki McClure calendar for 20 years now, and now I also buy Phoebe Wahl’s and Lisa Congdon – all women PNW artists I love. They give me lots of joy!
As much as I live by Google Calendar (because it is right there on my phone at all times in all places, can be color coded for various people, can be easily edited, yada yada) I ALSO am a diehard paper calendar girl. I have saved all my paper calendars for decades now – they are fun to flip through occasionally as a memory capsule, both of big and small events and also “oh THAT was the kind of calendar I liked that year.” I tend to go by gut feeling – I’ll know what I want when I see it – and I have never repeated…until this year:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0789343525?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
“Natural Art” blockprints. I had it a few years ago and was just drawn to it again this year – it’s so peaceful and soothing somehow. It’s been a stressful year so perhaps that’s why. But the Orders of the Animals is a strong contender for next year!
For my son, “Insane but True Facts”:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/163924946X?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
And for my teen daughter, Taylor Swift:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL9BL8S9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
One of your calendar posts is where I saw the Terry Runyan feline calendar which I finally got last year and love and asked for again this year. I get the mini one as it fits the particular space I like to hang it. So thank you!
I have never used this type of calendar, and it doesn’t make sense to think I’m going to now. BUT, I’m finding myself jealous of the picking out rotating art bit of it all. Is anyone buying something along these lines that isn’t a calendar? Is that even a thing? I feel like I may have to spend some time asking Google.
I feel like there should be a market for this, as calendars go out of style! When the kids were little, I put calendars in their room SOLELY FOR THE MONTHLY-CHANGING ART. They weren’t, like, jotting down appointments!
Just wanted to chime in that I love your calendar posts! (and totally respected you not wanting to do one, but was SO HAPPY to see the post come up last week)
I think you put me onto this calendar years ago, and I have continued to get it for my daughter every year, and each month we are delighted anew when we turn the page. https://www.calendars.com/shop/hedgehogs-2024-wall-calendar/202400007748
Other hedgehog calendars are just photos of hedgehogs – we love the little montages the photographer sets up!
A coworker and I get each other Sandra Boynton’s calendar each year for our office, where we only need to see the dates for the rest of the week/month.
I have Sandra Boynton’s mom calendar in the kitchen so we can write stuff for everyone down.
But THIS is my current front-runner, should I need another calendar – https://www.ausa.org/news/army-corps-engineers-releases-pet-calendars Giant dogs and giant cats. Delightful. The only sticking point is that I’d have to arrange to have it printed for me.
I bought the Nathalie Lethe calendar. I bought it for 2023 and I really love it. I wonder if I will regret having hte same calendar two years in a row?
TIME WILL TELL!
I bought this calendar this year and I am in love:
https://www.emily-kewageshig.com/shop/p/2024-calendar?utm_medium=email&utm_source=customer_notification
I bought this one last year and it was very pleasing. My boss asked if I got new art in my office when she caught it in the corner of a video call. Flora & Fauna 2024 Wall Calendar by Malin Gyllensvaan | 12″ x 24″ Open | Amber Lotus Publishing https://a.co/d/j6bJMpZ