46. Favorite Things of 2025
“I’m always looking for recommendations, but what I love most is the conversation that comes with them.”
It is that time of year when “busyness” abounds. The days are short — and feel even shorter — as our to-do lists loom large. In recognition of the time constraints that December brings, and the natural reflections that come with the close of a year, Tara and Tina bring you a quick and timely episode of their favorite things from 2025.
You might remember a similar episode from their first season, and this felt like the perfect moment to do it again. Tara and Tina discuss their favorite things from the past year — the items and small discoveries that genuinely made a positive difference in their lives.
They hope this episode nudges you to reflect on — and share — the things that brought you joy in 2025.
And if you're curious about any of the items mentioned, you can find links to everything in the show notes on the Messy Middlescence website.
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[00:22] Christina Donovan: Welcome to Messy Middlescence.
[00:24] This is a podcast where we talk honestly about the changes, change, challenges, connections, and gifts that come with midlife.
[00:32] Nothing too polished, just real conversations that remind us we're not alone.
[00:38] So let's dive in.
[00:40] Tara Bansal: Hello, hello and happy December.
[00:44] It is a very busy time.
[00:47] Today is just Tina and I and we decided we wanted to do another favorite things episode,
[00:57] so we did this back in season one. It was episode number 10 and just choosing our favorite things from the year. You can go back and listen to that episode, but I have a very good friend who throws a favorite things party where everybody brings a gift of one of their favorite things from the year.
[01:22] But the trick is you have to buy enough for everyone at the party. So it's generally in a 5 to $10 price range.
[01:32] And when you've done this for a few years,
[01:37] you start thinking about it all year long of like, what do I want to bring to this party as my favorite thing.
[01:46] Today? And Tina and I started doing it with our family of having a favorite things call with our family members and having people talk about their favorite thing. It could be an actual physical thing or a memory or an event from the year.
[02:06] So we do it broadly.
[02:08] But I don't know, I just think it's fun. I always am looking for recommendations and I feel like from this party it's more about.
[02:19] What people recommend than getting the actual things. Yes, it's fun to get gifts like that and there are always surprises.
[02:31] But so Tina and I are going to talk about favorite things today and hopefully it will give you a few ideas either for yourself or for someone else in your family if you are looking for gift ideas.
[02:45] Anything else you wanted to say, Tina, on the favorite Things?
[02:49] Christina Donovan: Oh, I've never been to a favorite things party, but.
[02:54] It'S always nice when our family does it. We do it usually at the end of the year, before New Year's or right after New Year's.
[03:01] It's fun to hear what people have to say.
[03:04] Tara Bansal: And it's virtual, so then it can be any price range or any, you know, anything at all.
[03:11] Tina, what was your favorite thing from the year that you came up with if you had to just choose one thing?
[03:20] Christina Donovan: Probably. I have two skincare products and I think both of those are probably. It's one of those two. Yeah.
[03:28] Tara Bansal: So what are they?
[03:30] Christina Donovan: Well, the first is it's a Clarins Instant Smooth.
[03:37] Touch.
[03:39] And it was actually I read about it on the website that we recommended last season the candidly and they it was in their List of, like, top.
[03:53] I don't know if it was makeup or skincare items for women over 40.
[03:58] And they described it as a spackle for your face was literally how they described it, which does not sound very good. But.
[04:07] It intrigued me, and now I can't imagine going without it. I mean, I generally don't wear a lot of makeup and I never wear any kind of foundation, even when I do wear makeup.
[04:21] But this I put on after I apply my moisturizer.
[04:27] And I only do it if I'm like going. It's sort of a special occasion thing. Like, if I'm wearing makeup, there's probably something special going on.
[04:36] And I just love the way it makes my skin look.
[04:39] Tara Bansal: Oh, wow.
[04:39] Christina Donovan: It's very sheer. Like, you don't. It's not heavy. You don't feel it on you. But every time I wear it, I feel like I look younger and my skin looks better.
[04:49] It is a little pricey. It's a small jar and it's about $35.
[04:55] But I bought my first one, I bought in February, and I just bought my second jar to show you you don't need a lot.
[05:03] And yeah, I highly recommend it for.
[05:08] I guess if you have like a foundation or makeup that you regularly use that maybe it's not something that would appeal to you. But if you're like me and kind of don't spend a lot of time or money on makeup,
[05:21] it's. It's a good investment for me.
[05:23] Tara Bansal: That sounds great. I definitely gonna check it out because I'm like you. I don't use foundation and I don't wear makeup all the time. But I don't know, just in the past couple years, I feel like I don't love how my skin looks.
[05:37] So anything that will help with that now that we're in our 50s,
[05:41] I'll take.
[05:44] So that's wonderful.
[05:45] Christina Donovan: What would you say your favorite thing for the year is or what?
[05:49] Tara Bansal: Well, I. I'll say what I'm bringing to the party because this will air after our party. It is the Amazon Quick Dry washcloths. And we.
[06:08] I don't know. I bought them years ago. And our washcloths, we must have had these washcloths for like more than five years. And they just were looking so gray and dingy.
[06:19] And I bought some new ones for us at home. And then I bought also I loved them so much for at the beach too.
[06:30] They are just like the perfect weight because you don't want your washcloth too thin.
[06:36] But you also.
[06:37] I have found you don't want your washcloth too thick because then it takes. Uses your soap too quickly and I just don't. Then you can't like feel through the washcloth as something else.
[06:52] So you may call me a weirdo because I know not everybody uses washcloths but. So I think you're either a washcloth person or not a washcloth person.
[07:02] But.
[07:03] And everyone in my family uses washcloths and we just love them. You get 24 for $22.
[07:11] And they make me happy. So I don't know.
[07:15] Christina Donovan: And I can attest to. I bought some after Terry raved about them and I love them too. They're a great buy.
[07:23] And I don't know, I just.
[07:25] To me,
[07:27] I love having so many.
[07:28] Tara Bansal: Yeah. So you get 24 and that should be.
[07:32] Christina Donovan: I never worry about running out or worrying about laundry. Whereas it felt like my old ones. Yeah. But yeah, they're. They're terrific. I highly recommend them too.
[07:41] Tara Bansal: And my other that I was debating for the party and I thought I was going to do this was a skincare product which is Trader Joe's Face Sunscreen.
[07:54] And for those of you who know me know I hate putting any lotion on my face at all.
[08:02] And so it's taken me years to force myself to even put any daily sunscreen on my face.
[08:11] And this one feels very light, it absorbs easily,
[08:17] it's not very expensive and it's a pretty high spf.
[08:22] Christina Donovan: So yeah, again I highly recommend it. We've been using it, I've been using it for a couple years.
[08:29] Tara Bansal: Yeah, this was my first year.
[08:32] Christina Donovan: Yeah. I guess the first time I tried it I was like, I never want to use another sunscreen besides this because it is the way it. Particularly on your face, the way it sits,
[08:42] it's very light, it's easy to put on and rub in. I don't know. I do.
[08:49] Tara Bansal: It's not white, it's not too greasy. It absorbs pretty well too.
[08:55] Christina Donovan: Everyone I know that uses it loves it. Yeah.
[08:58] Tara Bansal: So those were the two that I was thinking like within the price range of this party.
[09:04] Just that stood out.
[09:06] Something from the year that I would like to share with other people.
[09:12] The other. I was thinking about cookbooks. So this year there were. There's one cookbook that was recommended and was on a favorite list from our sister in law and she recommended this cookbook.
[09:28] It's Kate Ashmore's Big Bites.
[09:32] And I've given this now as a gift to quite a few people because I've liked, I've made so many of the recipes, and I've been really happy with how they come out, and generally they're not too challenging or take too long, but I feel like the flavors are very good.
[09:52] So that was one cookbook that stood out to me that I've really enjoyed. And I feel like when I think of this year,
[10:00] you know, most of the new meals are from that cookbook,
[10:04] so. Did you have a cookbook?
[10:06] Christina Donovan: Well, I didn't put a cookbook down. Tara gave me that cookbook for my birthday, and it's great.
[10:11] I've made a lot of the dishes on it, too,
[10:15] and yeah, I highly recommend it.
[10:18] Tara Bansal: What else did you have, Tien?
[10:23] Christina Donovan: Well,
[10:23] I put one book down,
[10:26] which was Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey.
[10:31] And Terry's nodding her head because I recommended this book to everyone I knew after I read it this past spring. And I don't know anyone who loved it as much as I do or did.
[10:43] But if you haven't read it,
[10:45] it's definitely worth checking out.
[10:49] For me, it has a lot of the elements that I look for in fiction. It has a little bit of a mystery.
[10:56] It has a lot of information on plants,
[11:00] and it has family dysfunction and drama. So all those things combined made it like the perfect read for me.
[11:08] It's definitely dark, but it's well written and it is a bestseller, so I'm not the only that has loved it.
[11:16] So if you're looking for a book to read over the holidays or to give as a book a gift, I highly recommend it.
[11:22] Tara Bansal: Yeah. And I've. It's been on a lot of the best books of the year.
[11:27] I feel like I've seen it a lot and I also thoroughly enjoyed it. It.
[11:36] I don't know, it holds your interest. It's suspenseful. It has a lot in it.
[11:41] Christina Donovan: Yeah, it packs a lot in.
[11:42] Tara Bansal: It does. So. But as Tina. I think Tina described it, she's like, imagine everything that you think I would like in a book, in a book.
[11:52] Christina Donovan: I mean, I like mysteries and the mystery isn't the central thing, but yeah, there's something that keeps you guessing the whole time. I don't know. Yeah, it's a good read.
[12:00] Tara Bansal: It was a good read.
[12:02] The book that I have loved the most this year is the Correspondent,
[12:09] which was recommended to me by a good friend who now works in a bookstore. And so it's by Virginia Evans.
[12:18] I don't know, I just loved it. I. It was written in the form of letters,
[12:24] which I think either you like or don't like this.
[12:28] I Feel like.
[12:29] Because was the Gurney Potato Society, was that written in letters?
[12:35] Christina Donovan: It might have been, yeah. I don't know.
[12:38] Tara Bansal: I do like that format in a way. I think it shows.
[12:43] Leaves you guessing for different parts and.
[12:47] I don't know, has a uniqueness of its own.
[12:50] And this.
[12:52] It was touching.
[12:53] It was.
[12:54] I feel like it relates a lot to, I think, the themes from Messy Middlescence.
[13:01] You know, it was a very successful woman lawyer who retires and what she does.
[13:11] She loves her plants and her garden and lives alone.
[13:19] And just the changes in her life. And one of the big things she does is write letters. She's a correspondent and there's multiple themes, multiple storylines, I feel like in the book.
[13:32] And each of them,
[13:34] I don't know, it made me cry. It made me, you know,
[13:37] I just felt like it was very touching.
[13:41] I know you read it. Tina, what was your take on it?
[13:44] Christina Donovan: Yeah, I did. I loved it, too. I mean, again, this is a book that's on a lot of favorites and top lists. And I mean, I started hearing and seeing about it last spring or this past spring, and I resisted reading it because I hate the.
[14:00] The letter format.
[14:02] Tara Bansal: And I think a lot of people do hate the letter format, but I.
[14:05] Christina Donovan: Just kept seeing and hearing people talk about how wonderful it is and my library did not have it for a while. And then they.
[14:16] I think people must have been requesting it because they finally got it in and I got it as a lucky day book.
[14:23] Oh, yeah.
[14:25] And yeah, read it very quickly. It is. It's really good. I highly recommend that, too.
[14:31] Tara Bansal: And part of it is if you're a. If you are a reader, a big part of the book is her talking about books with her friends of like, what are you reading right now?
[14:44] And so hearing that.
[14:46] Christina Donovan: And she writes authors that she likes. She is yeah, it's definitely. If you can get your hands on it, definitely worth a read.
[14:56] Tara Bansal: Yes, I agree.
[14:58] Christina Donovan: I.
[14:59] Tara Bansal: For a nonfiction, because I read a lot of nonfiction.
[15:04] The one that stood out to me was the Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom.
[15:12] This was chosen at our work. We do a book club.
[15:16] And this was.
[15:19] It was a new author just released, I think, at the very beginning of 2025.
[15:27] And it has like, I had never heard of it and somebody else chose it and I loved it.
[15:33] What I loved so much was the focus of the different forms of wealth, hence the title.
[15:43] And it goes into.
[15:46] Very actionable things that you can do to work on not just your finances, but time, wealth. So you feel like you have more time,
[15:57] your Relationships and social wealth.
[16:00] And I felt like having read so much nonfiction, it pulled together lots and lots of different things that some I had heard from, a few were new,
[16:13] but just in a fairly.
[16:16] Condensed book.
[16:18] There was a plethora of information,
[16:21] and I feel like a lot of times it was presented in a way that was memorable with either stories from him or stories from other people he knew.
[16:31] And the premise of the book was he realized he only saw his parents about once a year,
[16:40] and based on their projected, like, lifespan, he would only see them like 15 more times.
[16:48] And when he thought about that,
[16:50] that, like, really changed things for him and kind of motivated him to make some changes. He quit his job and moved from California out to the east coast to be closer to family and.
[17:06] And now,
[17:07] I mean,
[17:08] because it's been a bestseller, like, of course there's so much.
[17:14] He just keeps talking about how happy he is with the changes he's made and being more intentional with how he's living.
[17:21] So maybe I talk too long about that book, but it's something I'm interested in and I love.
[17:26] So that was the one that I feel like I'm recommending and giving to a lot of people too.
[17:33] Christina Donovan: I've read it based on Tarrie's recommendation, and it is really good. Yeah, I don't read as much nonfiction as Tarrie, but.
[17:42] It's definitely interesting and relevant.
[17:47] Tara Bansal: And the other is Carl Richards new book,
[17:51] you, Money,
[17:52] that I.
[17:54] I just think it's interesting. It makes you think. It gives you different ideas.
[17:59] It's one of those.
[18:01] There's not that many words in it, but you can pick it up and look at it,
[18:05] you know.
[18:07] At any time and then just put it down and keep.
[18:10] Christina Donovan: Yeah, it's like a good coffee table bedside.
[18:12] Tara Bansal: Although it's very small.
[18:14] I almost feel like he should have done it bigger. But it is one you would leave out for people to just glance at and look at.
[18:23] And so that is another one I'm giving as gifts to many clients, but just other people that I think it is a worthwhile gift.
[18:35] Shopping. Tina, any recommendations that you have around.
[18:40] Christina Donovan: That I didn't put anything down for that? Yeah, I.
[18:44] Tara Bansal: For the first time this year. And it was based on that website, the.
[18:50] Christina Donovan: Candidly.
[18:51] Tara Bansal: Yeah, candidly,
[18:53] because they recommended these jeans from Quince.
[18:57] And so I have now purchase. Purchased a few things from Quince. And I feel like I've been very happy their stuff is reasonably priced, but now they've gone way beyond clothing.
[19:13] I mean, they have like everything.
[19:16] Like, I. I feel like almost if I'm going to look at anything. It's worth looking there to compare and just see how it is.
[19:27] So that was the only other thing I asked my boys if they had a favorite thing that they would Recommend.
[19:35] And my 14 year old recommended the Athletic. He is definitely a sports fanatic and he reads a lot.
[19:46] But the articles on the Athletic are right up his alley and interesting and entertaining and up to date. And it's a good. It's a New York Times.
[19:57] Christina Donovan: Yeah, I was going to say, can you subscribe to that individually?
[20:00] Tara Bansal: You can, because we did it individually before.
[20:05] Getting the full time subscription.
[20:06] Christina Donovan: It's like New York Times cooking.
[20:08] Tara Bansal: So you can just.
[20:09] Christina Donovan: Yeah.
[20:10] Tara Bansal: Get only that.
[20:13] And my 12 year old,
[20:15] for his birthday, he got a pasta maker. And oh my goodness, he.
[20:22] This has like,
[20:24] he loves it. He's been making pasta at least once a week, sometimes twice a week.
[20:30] And he's loving it. And I feel like it's opened up this whole new.
[20:36] He wants to be cooking and trying new things all the time,
[20:40] which,
[20:41] and he is a really good cook. It's just funny to see how excited he is and interested in cooking. And I feel like the, the pasta maker has opened up a whole new world for him.
[20:54] And the story is, we got it. And he kept asking me, can we make the pasta, mom? Can we make the pasta? And I was just like,
[21:02] I need a few hours to kind of commit in order to be able to make the pasta. And so I kept putting it off, kept putting it off and he got frustrated and finally I was like, you can do it, but I'm not going to be able to help you.
[21:18] And he,
[21:21] I did help a little, but he did it and he did it in like,
[21:27] I don't know, not even a half hour.
[21:29] Like, you have to make the dough, let it get cold,
[21:32] and we let it sit in the fridge for a day or two. But then when he actually made the pasta, once again, it was less than a half hour and it was delicious.
[21:43] So the recipe came from Tina's daughter Maggie.
[21:47] And it's been a huge success.
[21:50] Christina Donovan: So, yeah, Maggie has the same pasta maker that Alex has.
[21:55] Tara Bansal: And we should say we'll put links to all of these things in our show notes. So if anything strikes your interest and you want to see exactly what we're talking about,
[22:07] you can look there.
[22:11] Christina Donovan: I mean, I had a food item on mine which you can't give as a gift, but.
[22:16] I have a super sweet tooth and it's really hard for me not to have dessert at the end of the day.
[22:24] And I stopped regularly eating ice cream,
[22:28] which is my dessert of choice.
[22:32] Tara Bansal: Daily.
[22:33] Christina Donovan: Dessert of choice for a long time for reasons more related to my cholesterol levels than my waistline.
[22:40] But I found these Kind ice cream bars. The kind also makes granola bars. Yeah, like they make nutritional bars or granola bars. And.
[22:54] I don't know, they just.
[22:56] They really hit the spot for me. They are individually wrapped, so you can't cheat on the portion. They're 180 calories.
[23:04] They have 7 grams of fiber, which for a dessert is pretty good, and 3 grams of protein.
[23:09] I wouldn't call them.
[23:13] Non processed, but they're minimally processed food. And yeah, they hit the spot. They're exactly what I need at night. Just. Just enough sweet and cold.
[23:24] Tara Bansal: So is it like a chocolate covered ice cream or what? Describe it a little more.
[23:29] Christina Donovan: It's like a.
[23:31] It's almost like a candy bar that's been frozen.
[23:33] Oh, okay. They have a peanut butter one and a nuts. They. They have ice cream and chocolate and nuts. I don't know. They're easy to eat and yeah, they're delicious.
[23:44] Tara Bansal: All right, I'm gonna have to look for that too, because I do think it's helpful when it's individually packaged.
[23:52] Christina Donovan: I think too, with ice cream,
[23:54] you know, especially. I think a serving size of ice cream is half a cup or something, which is.
[23:59] I don't know. I mean, I can eat that off the spoon, you know.
[24:03] Tara Bansal: So.
[24:04] Christina Donovan: Yeah.
[24:06] Tara Bansal: All right, well, that's it for today. Unless, Tina, there's anything else on your list.
[24:11] Christina Donovan: No, but we.
[24:14] Tara Bansal: We know this is a busy time.
[24:16] This was fun for me. It's always fun to hear other people's favorite things. So if you would like to share,
[24:24] please do reach out to us and let us know some of your favorite things.
[24:29] And.
[24:30] Christina Donovan: And yeah, check our recommendations for all the links to the things we talked.
[24:34] Tara Bansal: About on the website.
[24:36] But enjoy the holiday and this busy December,
[24:41] and we'll talk to you soon.
[24:43] Before we head out, here's this week's Connection challenge.
[24:48] Think of one or two of your favorite things from 2025.
[24:53] It could be something you bought, something you loved, or a moment that has really stayed with you and share it with someone you care about.
[25:02] It doesn't need to be a big event.
[25:04] Bring it up during a holiday. Get together,
[25:06] text a friend, or hop on a quick call.
[25:10] Just share something from your year that mattered to you and ask them to do the same.
[25:16] This is something Tina and I do with our family.
[25:19] Every December,
[25:20] we schedule a zoom call everyone goes around and shares their favorite thing from the year and it always sparks stories, laughter, and real lovely conversations.
[25:31] It's a great way to connect with a little structure to it.
[25:35] So that's your challenge.
[25:37] Think about and pick a favorite thing and share it with one of your favorite people.
[25:42] And if you try it, we'd love to hear how it went and what you shared.
[25:46] Thanks.
[25:48] Thank you for joining us today on Messy Middlescence. You can always find more about us plus the transcript or show notes at our website,
[25:59] www.messymiddalescence.com.
[26:04] M E S S Y M I D D L E S C ENCE.com and if you liked what you heard, please subscribe or share this episode with a friend.
[26:18] See you next time.
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Skincare & Beauty
Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (Tina’s pick)
https://www.ulta.com/p/instant-smooth-perfecting-touch-makeup-primer-xlsImpprod11591261?sku=2200427
Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen (Tara’s pick) - https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/daily-facial-sunscreen-spf-40-073568
Home & Everyday Essentials
Amazon Basics Fast Drying Cotton Washcloths (24-pack) (Tara’s party gift) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010S5VXKC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Books (Fiction & Nonfiction)
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Tina’s fiction pick) - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250827951/wilddarkshore/
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Tara’s fiction pick) - VIRGINIA EVANS
The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom (Tara’s nonfiction pick) - https://www.the5typesofwealth.com/
Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches by Carl Richards (Tara’s nonfiction pick) - https://behaviorgap.com/
Cookware & Cooking
Ovente Pasta Maker (Alex’s birthday gift and favorite thing) - https://www.amazon.com/OVENTE-Manual-Pasta-Polished-Chrome/dp/B00SCIE990?th=1
Kate Ashmore’s Big Bites (cookbook recommended by Tara & Tina) - https://kathleenashmore.com/big-bites/
Clothing & Brands
Quince Jeans (Tara’s pick, recommended via The Candidly) -
Snacks & Food
Kind Frozen Dessert Bars (Tina’s dessert replacement pick) - https://www.target.com/p/kind-frozen-dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-plant-based-dessert-5ct/-/A-78389942
Subscriptions / Media & Shopping
The Athletic (subscription recommended by Tara’s 14-year-old) - https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/
The Candidly (website where Tina saw the skincare recommendation) - https://www.thecandidly.com/
Quince Shopping Website - https://www.quince.com/
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Share Your Favorite Things from 2025
As we wrap up another full and fast-moving year, we invite you to pause and connect in a simple, meaningful way. This week’s Connection Challenge is to share one or two of your favorite things from 2025 with someone you care about.
It could be a book you loved, a small discovery that made your days easier, or a moment that stayed with you long after it passed. Choose something that mattered to you and share it with a friend, a family member, or someone you’ve been wanting to reconnect with.
You can bring it up at a holiday gathering, share it during a quick phone call, or even send a short text. The goal is simply to spark a conversation that brings a little more joy, connection, and reflection into the end of your year.
This is a tradition we return to every December. Our family schedules a short call, and everyone takes a turn naming their favorite thing from the year—big or small. It always leads to stories, surprises, and laughter, and it’s one of the easiest ways we’ve found to feel close to one another.
If you try this week’s challenge, we’d love to hear how it went—and what favorite things made your list.