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2025 Holiday Challenge

Typically, the "Advent Season" begins on the Sunday closest to St Andrew's feast, which is usually November 30th, and runs through Christmas Eve.

For our purposes, this challenge covers a much long time period. Running Monday November 17, 2025 through Monday January 5, 2026. This gives you 50 days of daily challenges to help with the early winter blues.

Each day, a new task will be revealed. Caches may be found and logged any day after the target day; caches found prior are not allowed. Early-on some goals might including hiding a cache, to give reviewers time to publish prior to the contest end.

Basic Rules:

Finds for any given day may be found on that day or subsequent days, but not days prior.
Contest entries are for finds/hides recorded and submitted during the contest week (Monday thru Sunday).
Entries must be submitted by Monday Midnight to be counted for the previous week's drawing.
Finds submitted for past weeks goals will count for the final drawing, but not the current weekly drawing. (this mean weeks prior to the current drawing period)
One find or hide equals one entry. Each find must be submitted on a "found one" form available in the template at the end of each week.
Each GC can only be used once across entire contest.

All players are expected to abide by the MiGO Code of Conduct and the Code of fair play on the page linked below.

Members’ Code of Conduct

Read details below

This contest brought to you by the warped imagination of LynnGeoGin

In the spirit of the Holiday Season this contest is open to all players. All players have the opportunity to win prizes.

Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake St Clair and Trial are eligible for the coins. If you join or renew during this contest your status will be determined each week. There will be one coin awarded each week, and 3 coins from all entries at the end of the full contest. Photos are available at the end of each week in the template.

Website Members (all levels), Non-members and Facebook friends are eligible for Promotional Tags. There will be multiple tags given out each week, for up to a total of 100-120 over 7 weeks. If a player wins more than once an attempt will be made to send a new color each time.

Weekly Drawings will be held during the week following the end of each weekly contest period (Monday thru Sunday) from entries submitted by Midnight on the Monday following the close of the week. The actual day of the drawing and announcement will be determined by the Contest Master or my deputies based on my schedule as I navigate my cancer diagnosis. Please give me grace in getting this posted.

A grand prize drawing will be held on or around Wednesday January 7, 2026 from all entries.

Finds will be submitted using a "found" form. Each weekly form will accommodate the 7 days of finds/hides.

The "FOUND" forms can be located at the end of each week in the template below. Please use the appropriate form for the weekly finds you are submitting. This is important for the scoring and will help the contest manager in keeping things timely.

If you are submitting for the current week, and prior weeks, please submit each set using the appropriate weekly form! Forms can be used more than once, if you are back logging a day here and there.

Each daily Task will be added to the calendar between 6 PM the prior day and 12 Noon the day of.

Every attempt will be made to make these available in a timely manner however,

the wide window is to give the contest manager a little leeway while navigating health issues.

Daily challenges should be done on the date noted or any day after, but not prior. If posted the evening before, please not complete until the day of.

Day 1 (Monday 11/17)

The Holiday season is getting underway, and it's too early to put up a real tree in the house. It is, however, time for a distraction. Let's go caching!

The elves have never heard of Geocaching and they need help understanding the game. Today, your challenge is:

Task:

Find a cache with at least 10 favorite points.

Day 2 (Tuesday 11/18)

Elves are funny creatures, and they sometimes tend to hide things so that they do not get lost. Often this means they can't find it later. Santa thinks elves are a lot like people in this way.

The elves have been trying all day to find the holiday decorations.

Task:

Hide a cache as a gift to the community. Any cache type is fine. Submit to review so that it will be published soon. Hides must be published before 12/15

Day 3 (Wednesday 11/19)

After searching for the great part of yesterday, the elves managed to find the box of decorations that they had hidden while cleaning up last season. They also found several boxes from years past that they had forgotten about. Do you know where your decorations are?

With that under control, it's time for some down time.

Task:

Find a cache that was hidden more than five (5) years ago today (11/18/2020 or older)

Day 4 (Thursday 11/20)

While it's starting to get cold in Michigan, it's cold year-round at the North Pole. Are you ready for the cold weather? Have you found your hat, gloves and Ice scraper? Are you ready for some cold weather caching? At least the mosquitoes are gone. The elves scratch their heads and wonder what a mosquito is.

Task:

Find a cache within a proximity to water; somewhere one would expect mosquitos in the summer months.

Day 5 (Friday 11/21)

There is nothing like a cup of Hot Chocolate on a cold day. There is nothing like chocolate on any day. Geocachers like food and they like friends; what better combination

Events are the best way to share and learn about all things caching.

Task:

Attend an event and break bread with your favorite type of people; Geocachers of course.

Note: there are events today in Reed City, Holland, Three Rivers, Manistee, Saginaw, Cadillac, and Rockford. But, if you can’t get to these you can attend an event Saturday in Madison Heights or Ortonville, or Sunday in Grand Rapids, Buchanan, Madison Heights, Hartford or Webberville.

Day 6 (Saturday 11/22)

Mitten Tree day

The holidays are often thought of as the season for giving. But giving should happen in every season. Have you heard of Coins4kids? If you find money in caches, please consider collecting it and donating it to this organization that Michigan Cacher Kneel More promotes and supports. Ask Kneel More if he will accept your donations if you cross him in your travels, I'm sure this will land you on the "nice list"

Coins4Kids Facebook Group

www.podcastofhope.com

The Podcast of Hope geocachers promote the activity of geocachers collecting loose coins from geocaches to donate to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The elves love this idea and hope that everyone will consider donating during the Geocache Talk Podcast of Hope on December 6, 2025 at www.geocachetalk.com

Or go to the podcast of hope page and donate early.

Task:

Find a geocache that was Hidden on Nov 22nd (today's date) of any year; or December 6th of any year (this year's Podcast of Hope date) (there are an estimated 550 caches in Michigan that fit these dates)

Alternatively, find a caches in which the title contains any of the words in red. (Mitten, Tree, Coin, Kid, Hope) Adding these words bumps the total in Michigan to over 1000 targets.

If you absolutely can not find one, because of distance, health or otherwise, the elves will vouch for your geoskills if you make a donation to the Podcast of Hope. The site is accepting them currently.

Day 7 (Sunday 11/23)

The elves are curious about so many things. They just heard about signal this year and the elves are curious about him. So are new Geocachers. How would you explain Signal to a new cacher? Or to an elf?

The elves are also curious about the viral fad called six,seven. Have you heard about six, seven? If so, can you explain it?

Task:

Find a NEW cache, one published after November 1, 2025. In your log, explain signal.

Find a cache in which the numbers 6 and 7 appear concurrently; in the cache name, the coords, the description, or in a log, basically anywhere on the page. Reference the 67 fad in your log.

Week One Entry Week 1

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Vintage MiGO 10 Year Coin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 8 (Monday 11/24)

Day 9 (Tuesday 11/25)

Day 10 (Wednesday 11/26)

Day 11 (Thursday 11/27)

Day 12 (Friday 11/28)

Day 13 (Saturday 11/29)

Day 14 (Sunday 11/30)

Week Two Entry Week 2

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Vintage 2005 Thanksgiving themed coin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 15 (Monday 12/01)

National Christmas Lights Day

Day 16 (Tuesday 12/02)

National Mutt Day

Day 17 (Wednesday 12/03)

Day 18 (Thursday 12/04)

National Cookie Day

Day 19 (Friday 12/05)

Day 20 (Saturday 12/06)

Day 21 (Sunday 12/07)

Week Three Entry Week 3

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Vintage MiGO coin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 22 (Monday 12/08)

Day 23 (Tuesday 12/09)

Day 24 (Wednesday 12/10)

Day 25 (Thursday 12/11)

Day 26 (Friday 12/12)

Poinsettia Day

Day 27 (Saturday 12/13)

Gingerbread House Day

Day 28 (Sunday 12/14)

Hanukkah/Chanukah Begins

Week Four Entry Week 4

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Vintage White Bear Geocoin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 29 (Monday 12/15)

Cat Herders Day

Day 30 (Tuesday 12/16)

Day 31 (Wednesday 12/17)

Day 32 (Thursday 12/18)

Day 33 (Friday 12/19)

Day 34 (Saturday 12/20)

Day 35 (Sunday 12/21) Winter Solstice

Week Five Entry Week 5

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Coin of the Month Club April 2016 - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 36 (Monday 12/22)

Cookie Exchange Day

Day 37 (Tuesday 12/23)

Day 38 (Wednesday 12/24)

Day 39 (Thursday 12/25)+

Day 40 (Friday 12/26)

Day 41 (Saturday 12/27)

Day 42 (Sunday 12/28)

Week Six Entry Week 6

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

Vintage 2005 Christmas Coin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Day 43 (Monday 12/29)

Day 44 (Tuesday 12/30)

Day 45 (Wednesday 12/31)

Day 46 (Thursday 01/01)

Day 47 (Friday 01/02)

Day 48 (Saturday 01/03)

Day 49 (Sunday 01/04)

Day 50 (Monday 01/05) FINAL DAY

NOTE: all entries for final drawing have an extended submission date of January 6, 2026 11:59 PM

Week Seven Entry Week 7

Number of cachers who submitted at least one entry -

Number of Entries received -

(max 7 per person)

Weekly Winners

White Tail Deer Wisconsin Coin - TBD

Tag(s) -

Final drawing from all submissions

Unique tracking codes were first added to geocoins on September 30, 2001, when geocacher Jon Stanley (Moun10Bike) released the first trackable geocoin. Initially, unique tracking codes were not widely available, and most early geocoins were non-trackable personal signature items that geocachers left behind in caches. Inspired by military challenge coins, these early geocoins were compact, durable, and personalized with designs and usernames.

The three final winners will get 2 Geocoins, one trackable & one non-trackable. The 1st drawn will get their choice of the 3, the 2nd drawn get a choice between the two remaining and the 3rd gets the last available. Your prize mailing may contain some other goodies at the discretion of the committee.

Week One Entry Week 1

Week Two Entry Week 2

Week Three Entry Week 3

Week Four Entry Week 4

Week Five Entry Week 5

Week Six Entry Week 6

Week Seven Entry Week 7

Winner One

Winner Two

Winner Three