What's getting you through January

[mamaduckbone]

I'm not a fan of January - trying to shift some Christmas flab, save money and be dry-ish - so I've been trying to find things to do to make it bearable.

This year so far - jigsaws and Ted Lasso. Lovely gentle feel-good telly, and a jigsaw gives my hands something to do to get me off my phone.

Also, planning nice things to look forward to - I've arranged a meet-up and lunch with a good friend at half term and plan to book something nice with ds2 to break up his GCSE mock revision that week too.

What about you? What makes January bearable? More ideas are always good!

I love January. It feels like a very 'clean' month. And it doesn't whiz by like all the others do. Good time to get back into reading. Lots of tea and chilling for me.

Going to Lisbon next week for a few days.

No it doesn’t whiz by, there are so many memes about January because it goes at an adding snail’s pace!!!! Today is the 743rd of January, is it not?!

<only slightly joking, here!>

I have a b'day in January so have never seen it as either the boring (plan b'day meals - as sadly most other places are shut but I like my scoff) or dry.

Even without the b'day, this is not the weather or the time of year (short days & long nights) to try to get out and do self improvement - it's far easier to exercise, eat healthily & cut down on booze in the warmer, brighter days. So I hibernate with a real fire, good books & films, red wine and hearty food.

Cake.

January is ticking over nicely. It probably helps that I don’t have to think about when’s payday.

Pine Needle tea

Holiday a week tmrw!

Warm pastries for breakfast, candles, oil burners, fairy lights, lots of cuddly blankets, rewatching Motherland and Stath lets Flats.

Not too bad it's my birthday tomorrow and as usual I've found this month is flying by it's Feb that always drags.

I am looking forward to the summer and our holiday end of August, try to plan trips and things to do as a family to break up the year.

Love reading, and I do tend to enjoy the cosy evenings still without the pressure of having to be out spending money right after Christmas. It's a much needed break after the running around and busy period of Christmas.

Having a holiday countdown! We're going to Orlando this year so are spending our evenings holiday planning and watching vlogs on universal studios and Walt Disney world. Also knowing we are more than halfway through January is helping!

Nothing.

2 family deaths this month. January can fuck off.

If anyone mentions a snuggly blanket on the couch in front of a roaring fire with scented candles all round, I'll lose it.

Looking forward to Traitors, knitting a baby blanket for my daughter and Lidl’s dark chocolate ‘posh’ ginger biscuits have pretty much been the highlights of this week so far!

The Traitors
The Masked Singer
And if it's not raining, daily walks

Sorry for your loss.

I hate January

I’m enjoying having time to try some new recipes and I’ve braved the gym after an absence and that’s making me feel good. I’m trying to do something every day that invests in me, in a loose way, having a bit of a body MOT with dentist and optician appointments or just an hour to myself to read a book or spend on hobbies.

I'm trying to take up my foreign language class again but the tutor has quit cos of Brexit 😡

I've started running again in the morning before work but I still look like something out of Jurassic Park.

KOKO 😳

Jigsaws here for me too

Wine

The thought of Feb

We are going away this weekend, so looking forward to that

The fact its now getting slightly lighter every day keeps me going.

Sorry to hear that.

I was going to say snuggly blankets 😂 but I am over snuggly blankets now. The novelty has worn off! The candles and dark are getting on my nerves. I am feeling slightly impatient for it to be over now. I saw daffodils 🌼 today so that was very cheery.

I am booking a holiday, planning the summer. Having coffees with friends. Enjoying the excuse to stay in. Early nights. Reading. Spring cleaning. Making new soups. I like the order and tidiness after Christmas.

Someone once told me to take a photo at 4pm every day to show the evenings getting lighter. I never do it, but do try to notice the nights getting lighter - I'm not always leaving work in the dark now.

Exactly. I notice by the school pick up. Kids finish at 4 and it was dark then before Christmas, now it's not 😊 and still not dark when we get off the tube.