What Mrs. Peasant Learned In 2025

Gustave Courbet. Poor Woman of the Village 1866

If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, 

spring would lose its loveliness.

-SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX

Mr. Peasant and I both agree 2025 has been one of the worst years we ever had. We were happy to say goodbye to 2025. Praise the Lord, even in bad years no time is ever wasted. In no particular order, here are a few things I learned in 2025. 

1. FOLGERS IS HORRIBLE COFFEE 

We all want to save money on coffee, but don't waste your money. I am not a coffee snob, but I had to throw the Folgers can out. We can no longer afford Cafe Bustelo.  The hipsters have gotten a hold of the Bustelo, and the price has gotten too high. To save money, we have been drinking Maxwell House and Food Lion brand coffee. I think our new favorite is Chock Full of Nuts when it is on sale. 

Maxwell house coffee newspaper ad 1921

2. NO MORE CANNED TOMATOES

The quality of food at the grocery store keeps plummeting. I have finally had enough of wasting money on canned tomatoes that taste like tin! I am now using a jar of pizza sauce as my vegetable soup base. 

3. NO MORE MICROFIBER 

Microfiber smells bad. Even after washing, the microfiber quickly sours and retains a funky smell. I have replaced our microfiber cleaning rags with 100% cotton wash cloths. I also threw away a stinky microfiber bathmat. Now, I place a cotton towel on top of our polyester bath mat with a rubber bottom. The cotton towel is easy to hang up to dry and wash. The bottom mat keeps us from slipping. 

4.  LINE YOUR AIR FRYER WITH PARCHMENT

I cut a circle of parchment paper the size of my air fryer pan.  I place it in the bottom of my air fryer pan, and it saves me time cleaning. The liner collects any drips and you throw it away when it gets bad.  Amazon sells liners already cut to size.

5. ELDERBERRY AND HAND SANITIZER COMBO

We are very grateful to have not gotten sick this flu season. We take a table spoon of elderberry syrup everyday. We also have been careful not to touch our faces. We carry around travel instant hand sanitizers and use them often. We have limited our trips out to what is truly necessary. We have also decided to refrain from receiving the Blessed Sacrament. We make a spiritual communion at Mass and will return to sacramental communion once the flu season is over.

6. HOMEMADE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

In our opinion, a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie is our favorite cookie in the whole world. We prefer it over a fancy chocolate chip cookie. I know. I know. Please hear us out. We certainly love ALL cookies. But the oatmeal raisin cookie is overlooked nowadays. We want to give it the praise it deserves. Here is the recipe we use. We substitute with flax egg and Country Crock Plant Based olive oil margarine to make it vegan. (Earth Balance browned too much in this recipe. We prefer the Country Crock.) And if you are feeling extra lazy, make them into bars!

Quaker Oats ad, New York Amsterdam News 1977

7. MURDER, SHE WROTE  IS A TREASURE

Jessica Fletcher is my old lady female style icon. I love her clothes, her home in Maine, and her grit. This cozy eighties murder mystery TV show has been my nightly companion.  I recommend it as a perfect way to escape for an hour or two. You can watch all twelve seasons for free on Tubi.

8. CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE NOT DEAD

I am happy to report that Christmas cards are not dead. Although the price of stamps are up, people have not abandoned this thoughtful practice. We received more cards this year than any other year. It fills my heart with so much joy. I love this simple and inexpensive way to say I'm thinking of you. I love the handwriting and the love inside. I also love displaying them throughout the house. 

Child with Christmas Card, Alden Finney Brooks between 1840- 1932

9. LIFE IS SHORT

We have lost many loved ones this year. I have been thinking about time and how fast it goes. I want to slow it down as much as I can. I feel the shine of this world slowly fading. I want to walk closer with the Lord. And I've been thinking more and more about Heaven. Soon enough, our day will come, and we will be called home.

10. MY FIRST ADVENT

This year, I was denied my typical Christmas pleasures. Mr. Peasant didn't have an appetite for food and wasn't able to watch any Christmas movies. These two silly things were what I thought Christmas was about. Christmas was belittled to feelings of nostalgia, foods, and comfort.  Another blow was my Magnificat magazine got lost in the mail. I was so glad I saved a December and Lent magazine just in case. I listened to Sensus Fidelium every night. I learned about every feast day and every passage from this season. I learned that Advent is a penitential season like Lent. I thought about our Lord's humility in coming to save us as a little baby. I decided that this season was about me and God. I started thinking about what gifts I could give to the Lord. I thought of the poverty of the Holy Family in the stable. I was being prepared spiritually. I am grateful for my accidental Advent.

11. CHRISTMAS BEGINS ON THE 25TH

Without the treats and the music, it didn't "feel" like Christmas. Then, on Christmas Eve, we went to Mass at 5pm. It was the family Mass.  We packed into the church like sardines. Our church was covered in incense and screaming babies. The children's choir sang Hark the Harold Angels Sing like the Charlie Brown special.  And it hit me during the Mass that it finally felt like Christmas. I learned that Christmas starts the 25th of December and continues until the Epiphany on January 11th.  Those are the twelve days of Christmas. And if you sent your cards late or still have your tree up like me, you are fine. There is no rush. You can keep celebrating Christmas until the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord on February 2nd. I intend to keep on learning about Advent. I also intend to really get the most out of Lent this year.

I hope you have a peaceful and happy 2026. Lord willing, we will continue to grow and learn even through our failures. We are praying to remain content and small. Thank you for stopping by. God bless you in the new year.