Oh dear, this year it is a challenge. We need a calendar than can BEAR UP. I don’t want super cute, or funny. I don’t want whimsy. I might want art. I might want beauty. I might want science/botany. My 2024 calendar would be good for next year, but it looks like there isn’t a 2025 version. This is what it looked like:
(image from Amazon.com)
Each month was another soothing category of drawings.
After searching “2025 wall calendar” and getting, as the fourth option, a calendar of fake pictures of the incoming president lifting weights, riding an eagle look-mom-no-hands, dressed as a benevolent Santa, etc., I really feel this may be the right year for Space Cats:
(image from Amazon.com)
Space Cats calendar. I think that’s a pretty accurate metaphorical representation of how off the rails everything feels like it’s going to be.
(image from Amazon.com)
The Farmer’s Almanac calendar looks soothing. Nice vintage picture of flowers, surrounded by some nice soothing facts. Such as that January 20th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day AND Inauguration Day this year!
(image from Amazon.com)
I think the very most likely is a William Morris calendar. There are many. Soothing, soothing wallpaper. I think I will just look at the backs of them all, count how many of the images I love/like on each, and pick the one with the most tally marks.
(image from Amazon.com)
Or the Redouté flower calendar. I consider it every year; I’ve never bought it. This may be exactly the right year for monthly flowers.
(image from Amazon.com)
Good Enough To Eat: The Art of Comfort Food calendar. Or actually I could be persuaded to consider monthly food. I like the way the lower half of the calendar has a pretty colored border; I don’t like the way it smallens the writing space.
(image from Amazon.com)
New York Botanical Garden calendar. Yesssss, inject me with the soothing botanical drawings. But…it looks as if they have allowed the soothing botanical drawings to trespass WELL down into the lower half of the calendar, and I need ALL THAT ROOM for writing things in squares, so this one is out for me. But it is so beautiful (scroll down the listing to see what it looks like hung up on a wall, showing January in all its glory), and I know not everyone needs as much writing space, so I am including it.
(image from Amazon.com)
Okay, this GuassLee calendar and I are on the same page: if you need more room for the illustration, FINE, make the PAGE bigger! and then the calendar squares have more room TOO! But I don’t understand their assertion that this calendar goes through June 2026. Many calendars claim to go from September of the current year through December of the next year, but what they mean is that they have four months of this year sharing one page at the beginning. This calendar seems to be saying it has six extra months, leaving you stranded in the middle of the next year. What are you supposed to do THEN? I read some reviews that mention that the pictures repeat after the first 12, and NOW I’ve had a thought: you can just use those extra pages to KEEP TRACK for the next year, and then TRANSFER those to your new calendar. I’m always having to write the next year’s appointments on the back of the current calendar, but this would be better. Okay, I am back in favor of this calendar again. That’s even enough room for all the every-6-months dentist appointments! And the end of the school year!
(image from Amazon.com)
Esté Macleod calendar. I believe I’ve chosen this one twice, and was happy with it both times. In previous years I’ve inclined away from repeating a calendar, but this year I am more inclined toward the familiar/comfortable.
(image from Amazon.com)
Feathered Friends calendar. Always on the list, because I can be sure I’ll love it.
(image from Amazon.com)
I very much like the look of this Kate Heiss calendar. Soothing and British. Pretty without making me feel like it’s trying to cheer me up. And how did I not know she had a sticker advent calendar??? I am thinking of buying it and using it as a 24 Days of Christmas post-Christmas calendar. I think I actually need the cheery-little-daily thing MORE after Christmas. In fact, I’m buying it right now. I’ll put it in my stocking.
••••••••
As always, if you use a wall calendar, I would love to hear what you’re buying/considering, as well as about any calendars you’re buying for other people.
Also, let’s do something I did for awhile and then forgot about doing: if you want to be calendar twins with me and you have a U.S. shipping address you can use (it doesn’t have to be yours: I can send the calendar as a gift to your friend/relative in the U.S. and say it’s from you, or from you and me if you think that would be funnier), you can leave a comment, and when I decide what I want for myself I’ll order one for you too. It’s a little tricky because if you’re commenting on this post about what calendar you already have, you might not want another calendar—so let’s say that if you want to be entered into the giveaway, include a little <3 heart in your comment. You can comment JUST <3, or you can add it anywhere in the comment. I’ll pick a name on the day I pick my calendar.
[Update: I have chosen a calendar, and I have chosen a commenter! Sara, I’ve sent you an email! I’d thought I was going to choose the GuassLee, but my heart wanted the Kate Heiss.]
Last December my cousin and his partner made a custom calendar with photos of their (very adorable) kids, and they printed extra copies for anyone in the family who wanted one, so that was my calendar this year. (It came with all the family birthdays pre-written in, so that was very handy.) If they hadn’t done that, I would have probably gone with a Nathalie Lete calendar – I got one for 2023 after seeing it in your calendar post, and ended up loving it. Looks like there isn’t a 2025 version, alas. My second choice was the Order of the Animals calendar, so I guess that was a missed opportunity to be Calendar Twins.
I think my favorite on your list this year is the GuassLee one. I agree that bright floral imagery will be much needed this year.
And okay, I’ll enter the contest! (Maybe THIS time we can be Calendar Twins!) If I win and my cousins do another family calendar this year, I could always put one in my kitchen and one in my bedroom. I’m not normally in the US, but I will be for Christmas and New Years! <3
There is one! Nathalie Lété 2025 calendar
I considered it, but it’s more whimsy than I want for this particular upcoming year.
Hooray! And that’s weird – only the 2023 version showed up for me when I looked on Amazon.
Amazon has been acting wonky recently. I wondered if they’d tampered with their algorithm or something, because I will sometimes search for the exact thing I want by the exact name, and find it on page 2 after a bunch of inferior results.
<3
The William Morris calendar would be very attractive and soothing. Space cats calendar looks like a lot of fun, but I think I would appreciate the patterns of Morris long term. <3
(Not entering the contest, just commenting) I appreciate your use of the word “smallens,” presumably as a counterpart to embiggens.
I just thought, “Swistle is delightful!” after reading this post.
I wish you deep enjoyment from both your sticker post-Advent calendar AND your 2025 wall calendar. :)
<3
<3
The calendars I bought for my kids this years were the Mary Engelbreit Words That Matter, Secret Life of Squirrels, Noble Horses Portrait Series, and American Aviation. I generally just use a boring digital calendar (I need the built in reminders/alerts), but if I did I’d like the Annie Soudain calendar.
Our daughter will now get the Secret Life of Squirrels calendar (thanks for making me aware of it), and for our son I picked Destination Space. We receive the Charley Harper calendar from my MIL, it’s a tradition by this point.
(No entry here as well)
Gettin’ Squirrelly also looks good!
I had a puppy a day calendar this past year and it was fun especially with my kids but also looking for a more soothing and comfort through beauty one this year – haven’t gotten one so <3!! Thanks for this post each year.
I requested this one for Christmas: https://paulcastlestudio.com/products/mr-maple-calendar. It’s made by a blind artist and it’s a little story about his guide dog!
If no one gets me that one, I’ll return to this post.
<3 I have been dithering about calendars lately. I do LIKE beautiful calendars, but I find choosing them to be so hard. Getting one as a gift is great. No pressure, just pretty pictures!
I buy three calendars every year:
Nicki McClure who makes lovely simple art and one-word themes out of cut paper (no room for writing
though, just meditative and seasonal )https://buyolympia.com/Item/nikki-mcclure-2025-wall-calendar
Lisa Congdon, a local (to Portland) artist: https://lisacongdon.com/collections/calendars/products/2025-wall-calendar-by-lisa-congdon – bold shapes and colors
And Phoebe Wahl, another local-ish artist, more charming forest folk and scenes. This year I got the Feast calendar:
https://phoebewahl.shop/products/2025-feast-wall-calendar
They make me so happy, even if they are not meant to write appts etc
I’m loving the GuassLee calendar! We usually get one from our university for the tiny sum we donate back, but I haven’t seen one come yet this year. Also love the use of smallens and consideration on writing space.
<3!
I don’t know how relevant it is to an American post but I am looking very seriously at a Margaret Olley calendar. I love her art so much and went to her museum last year (in Australia). I don’t know if she translates internationally but I absolutely recommend you have a look. She paints floral still life and beautiful indoor scenes that remind me of an idealistic version of my childhood. Comfort, comfort, comfort.
I was looking for resistance merch and found this Liberation Calendar: https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/2025-rlm-liberation-calendar/
I bought it for myself and a few friends. I think it’s beautiful and heartening, and it has writing space, too!
I’ve picked Feathered Friends for several years in a row (2021-2023) (found from one of your posts), but last year I went with NIQUEA.D Wonderful World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CHSH1VPX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I don’t love the 2025 version as much as the 2024 one though, so I may be back to Feathered Friends again…
Oooh, or maybe I’ll go with Funky Cats!
https://www.amazon.com/NIQUEA-D-Funky-Cats-2025-Calendar/dp/B0DJSPJ6YQ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
I didn’t want to ask on previous posts if there’d be a calendar post this year because I didn’t want you to feel pressured, but I’m so glad that you went ahead and did one!
I am once again ferreting out the Hedgehogs! calendar for my daughter, and I do custom family calendars for everyone else. In fact, this year I think I’ll also order my daughter an extra family calendar she can take to university with her and leave her hedgehog one up in her room for when she’s home.
No contest for me, thanks!
I do eyeball the Subpar Parks calendar every year, but of course it’s got the American holidays in it.
And I follow Noah Verrier and have considered buying one of his prints before so it’s fun he made the short list this year!
I’ll have to come back and look at what others are considering. I was thinking I might be calendar twins with you this year, depending on what you chose. I want something soothing and/or fun for the coming year.
I went back to the Sandra Boytnton wall calendar for 2024. As much as I love the drawings in all the squares, they don’t leave enough room for writing.
Right now I’m considering the wall calendar from We Rate Dogs (https://weratedogs.com/pages/2025-calendars. Scroll down for the wall calendar. The daily desk calendar is at the top). I looked at pictures of the wall calendar on Amazon and it looks like it has nice big *empty* squares.
Art and beauty FTW.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1087509025/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have a long-running preference for scenery calendars. Like Scenes of Canada, or Mountains, or last year’s was Scenes of Norway.
This year, I went to the mall-pop-up-calendar-store and bought Islands in the Sun. It’s 12 months of palm trees and waves and sandy beaches.
I shall find that very soothing.
The Last Homely House – a crafting, gardening, homey YouTube channel from the UK – has a calendar in their shop. It’s full of her artistic photos of homey images. I don’t use a paper calendar, but I might order hers just for the zen.
I don’t even USE a wall calendar, but I love this post so much every year.
I love the William Morris ones, and appreciate the thoughtfulness of the post. I got some great ideas for gifts. <3
I bought this one for 2025: https://www.wrightkitchen.com/product-shop/p/2025-calendar and also bought my holiday cards from her.
I actually need a calendar this year and would love to be Calendar Twins! I haven’t needed one for a long time (we have several wipe off monthly calendars for the various family things) and now I have a new job where I mostly work from home, but not all the time, and it would be so useful to have a calendar for that. If I don’t win I’ll just get one when they go on sale. <3
Merry Christmas, Swistle, and thank you for the happiness you bring me!
So many beautiful options! I would probably have to go with Feathered Friends. The William Morris wallpapers are a touch too soothing for me, but a bird will always lift my spirits. Hope Is The Thing With Feathers, etc. <3
Ugh I had the Orders one saved from LAST year for this year so I’m sad they’re not going to do a 2025. Maybe it’ll pop up.
For now, I have this fun one with cheese: https://riflepaperco.com/products/2025-kitchen-calendar-cheese
I can’t find anything that feels like it will bear me through this year but I’m still hunting. 😟