And just like that, 2024 is in the books and we’re halfway through the first month of 2025. As I shared in The Sunday Spark earlier this month, my theme for 2025 is intentionality.  With that in mind, I’m sticking with the practice of setting smaller monthly goals that has worked for me over the last couple of years.

In addition to my goals update, my December 2024 roundup has terrific posts on decluttering, and getting started even when we don’t feel ready.

Happy reading!

Cool things I read in December

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create inspiring and informative content.

As is often the case, December was a quiet month here in the blogging world. Even so, here are 2 posts that inspired me last month.

Decluttering Your Home Before the New Year Begins – Transatlantic Notes

I always love a good decluttering post and this post from Molly is full of helpful tips.

Physically letting go of unused items can be emotionally liberating, helping us to shed past burdens; additionally, organised surroundings save time and energy, and reduce daily frustrations.

Decluttering Your Home Before the New Year Begins – Transatlantic Notes

We Never Feel Ready – Wynne Leon for Wise & Shine

In this short but insightful post, Wynne reminds us of the importance of getting started, even when we don’t feel ready.

The jumping off point to a new adventure, the next thing I write, the beginning of a relationship, and even sometimes the words I’m going to utter next – they all come with reasons not to. And one big reason why we should.

We Never Feel Ready – Wynne Leon for Wise & Shine

What I wrote in December

In case you missed any of them, here are the new posts I published in December here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• The Sunday Spark – Shifting our focus to aging well
• Tell me about your Simple holiday joys
• The Sunday Spark – Your simple holiday joys
• The Sunday Spark – More simple holiday joys
• 25 years after Y2K – How are we doing?
• The Sunday Spark – An extra helping of holiday joy
• Christmas memories – A poem about what matters
• The Sunday Spark – Delivering smiles and handwritten notes
• Blog highlights of 2024 and a sneak peek at 2025

And here are the posts I wrote in December for Wise & Shine.

• Ideas for low cost and low fuss winter gatherings
• Consider the benefits of shopping local
• Prioritize your wellbeing this holiday season
• Y2K life lessons – 25 years later

Plus, as I wrapped up my reboot of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, I refreshed and republished these posts.

• Week 45 – Financial decluttering and organizing tips
• Week 46 – Declutter the mess on the basement floor
• Week 47 – Collectibles
• Week 48 – Toys & games
• Week 49 – Christmas decorations
• Looking back on a year of decluttering

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December goals update

After several good months, things slowed down in November. Except for my fitness goals, they slowed down even more in December thanks to a run of crummy weather and holiday laziness.

Fitness

I was on a roll, so my fitness goals were unchanged from November. I’m happy to report I met all three goals with an average of 201 minutes of exercise each week, 3 balance and flexibility sessions and 2.5 strength training sessions.

Wellness

Crummy weather and lack of motivation got in the way of my outdoor walks. I managed to get outside only 12 out of 31 days. And it made a huge difference in my energy level.

I did a little better on the nutrition front, meeting my goal of eating 4 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit on 20 out of 31 days. If sugar was a food group, I would have crushed it!

Reading

I met my goal of reading 5 books including a couple of short Christmas Novels. Here’s what I read in December:

• Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich
• The Little Book of Grief – A collection of poems by my friend Pat Keachie
• Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
• Keep Sharp by Dr. Sanjay Gupta
• The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

Writing

I did manage to keep up with my blog posts in December, but didn’t make much progress on my book project, other than starting to make edits to the first part of the book.

My January goals

A new year is a fresh start. As I shared in the first edition of The Sunday Spark of 2025, my theme for the year is intentionality. Here are the goals I’ve lined up for January.  

• Fitness goals: One of the things I took away from Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s book Keep Sharp was that 400 minutes of activity a week is the right amount for optimal brain health. I’ve been regularly hitting 200 workout minutes but haven’t been tracking my walks. For January, my goal is 300 minutes, including walks. And I plan to continue with 2 strength training and 3 balance/flexibility sessions every week.
• Handwritten note project: Since the postal strike prevented me from sending Christmas cards, I’m sending New Year’s cards to my overseas family and friends.
• Reading: My January reading goal is 4 books.
• Intentional living: Reread Joshua Becker’s Things That Matter.
• Learning: Start Plain Language Certificate final project course.

Thanks for dropping by to check out my December 2024 roundup. How is 2025 going for you so far? Drop me a comment below to let me know.