Friday Favorites #179: 2025 Favorites

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful end to 2025 and start to 2026. 

Here’s how I celebrated the holiday!

We enjoyed lots of snacks.

Warm drinks by the tree

Watching the ball drop

First winter walk of the season

I have been popping in here and there, but have been thoroughly enjoying this holiday season. 

I have lots of content and ideas planned for the new year, so stay tuned!

Getting my planner ready for the new year is always a favorite of mine!

Every Friday, I like to link up and share some of my favorite things from the week as I link up with Erika and Andrea!!

Today, I decided to change things up and share my 2025 Ultimate Favorite Things. These are things that brought me joy over the past 52 weeks! To see my full 2025 recap, you can check out Wednesday’s post.

I like to round up my favorite things from the year, maybe they are your favorites too, or they give you something new to try! 

Elspeth’s 2025 Favorites:

I had a great reading year!

Favorite Book:

The Women by Kristin Hannah- I absolutely devoured this book. It was my first Kristin Hannah book and it lived up to its hype. I listened to the audiobook version and I was drawn in from the beginning of the book about the strength and resilience of the women during the Vietnam War. It’s stuck with me months after I finished reading it.

Honorable Mention to Awake by Jen Hatmaker. I have heard of and followed Jen for years, but listening to her memoir was so good. It was real and raw, unfiltered and relatable. She was vulnerable and honest and her words were so beautiful. 10/10 recommend.

Favorite TV Show:

Gilmore Girls- It may have taken me over a year to watch it, but I loved incorporating Gilmore Girls into my daily routine. I’m so glad I finally jumped on the bandwagon and started to watch it. I also loved A Year in the Life. It was the perfect companion.

Favorite Fashion Item: 

Sleeveless dress- I really fell in love with sleeveless dresses this summer. They are so easy to throw on and you can dress them up or down. I loved wearing them in the summer months. 

Favorite Podcast:

Charlie Webster’s Unicorn Girl- There are several podcasts that I listen to weekly, The Lazy Genius, Books Beach and Beyond, The Simple Sophisticate Podcast, and Zen with Jen. But this year, Charlie Webster came out with a new true crime podcast called, Unicorn Girl. Webster is the same producer of the Scamanda podcast that came out a few years ago. I loved listening to this podcast and it kept my attention hooked the entire time.

Favorite App:

Substack- I love, love, love Substack. Some of my favorite people have substacks including Emily Ley, Elizabeth Holmes, and Simplified. It’s basically like old school blogging. I love the content and the format, just a great escape from social media. 

Favorite Hobby:

Daily walks- As much as I enjoy working out and running, I really have gotten into daily walks. Whether it is on the treadmill to cool down or outside on a beautiful day, I love getting my steps in and taking time to reflect and relax away from the hustle and bustle of the day to day life.

Favorite Trip and Day Trip:

I loved my family vacation that we took this past summer. It was so good to have time to reconnect, relax, and unwind and just spend time together, especially with all of us living in different places. 

Orlando- My favorite day trip was when my fiance and I took a day and went to Orlando. It was fun and spontaneous and much needed after a very, very cold winter. You can read all about it here.

Favorite Meal/Recipe: I made over 50 new meals this year. Some of my favorite hits were my Apple Chicken Skillet by Mix and Match Mama.

I also loved my Turkey, Apple, Cheese Sandwich by Emily Ley. It’s so tasty and filling and perfect for lunch and dinner.

French Silk Pie- This was such a rich and delicious dessert. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or sweet dessert. Definitely a hit for the chocolate lover.

Baking nearly 20 different desserts for the holidays was another favorite of mine!

There you have it. The best of 2025! Every year, I like to look back on some of my favorite things from the last twelve months. These are things that really stood out to me from 2025. What are some of your favorite things from the past year?! I would love to know! 

Thank you 2025 and let’s welcome in 2026!

P.S. Be Sure to tune in on Monday for a new series and a special post! I will see you then! Have a great weekend and stay warm!