Firstly, Happy New Year!! Let's make 2018 a good one...
It's fair to say that January gets a bad press, but is one of my favourite months of the year. I usually travel over Christmas and New Year, so for me, January is when I get to be back in my own home and have a proper rest after weeks of running around like a mad thing.
I discovered that the Finnish word for January is tammikuu. Tammi means oak, the heart of the forest and the name literally means "oak moon". If you think of January as the heart of winter, as opposed to, say, the dead of winter, it sounds much more positive.
It's oh so quiet...
It is often said that nothing happens in January, but that's fine by me - I love how quiet it is. For those of us who don't like bustle and crowds very much, it can feel like a really wonderful time. The shops are quiet, the pubs are quiet.... everywhere is quiet! It's just great...
Baby, it's cold outside...
Most years, the worst of the winter weather sets in after Christmas, so it's a great time to stay indoors and listen to the wind and rain outside. And if there's snow, even better - it's so peaceful watching it fall, and it seems to transform everything. On the other hand, if those dry, bright, icy cold days come along, few things are better than wrapping up and going for a wintery walk.
Hygge hasn't been a thing in the media this winter, but January is the perfect time to practise it. I take down all the recognisably Christmasy decorations, but things like the fairy lights and candles all stay until the evenings get lighter, and it starts to feel like spring.
It's fair to say that January gets a bad press, but is one of my favourite months of the year. I usually travel over Christmas and New Year, so for me, January is when I get to be back in my own home and have a proper rest after weeks of running around like a mad thing.
I discovered that the Finnish word for January is tammikuu. Tammi means oak, the heart of the forest and the name literally means "oak moon". If you think of January as the heart of winter, as opposed to, say, the dead of winter, it sounds much more positive.
It's oh so quiet...
It is often said that nothing happens in January, but that's fine by me - I love how quiet it is. For those of us who don't like bustle and crowds very much, it can feel like a really wonderful time. The shops are quiet, the pubs are quiet.... everywhere is quiet! It's just great...
Baby, it's cold outside...
Most years, the worst of the winter weather sets in after Christmas, so it's a great time to stay indoors and listen to the wind and rain outside. And if there's snow, even better - it's so peaceful watching it fall, and it seems to transform everything. On the other hand, if those dry, bright, icy cold days come along, few things are better than wrapping up and going for a wintery walk.
Hygge hasn't been a thing in the media this winter, but January is the perfect time to practise it. I take down all the recognisably Christmasy decorations, but things like the fairy lights and candles all stay until the evenings get lighter, and it starts to feel like spring.
Resolutions? Not so much...
I used to make New Year's Resolutions, but not anymore. Instead, January is my time to settle in and make plans for the rest of year. Not resolutions, or even goals, because these feel like there's an in-built failure mechanism. Plans don't have this connotation for me. Plans are things that more or less happen, barring natural disaster, or other things we can't control.
To me, the coldest, darkest time of the year doesn't feel like the right time to make drastic changes. Nature is firmly against us on this one, after all. The trees won't be budding for weeks... the creatures that aren't hibernating are just doing enough to get by. We humans would do well to take our cue from the natural world in January.
Just relax... and plan...
So I get out my diary and start thinking about holidays, or trips to see the family. I get out recipe books and start doing a bit of meal planning. Oh, and whilst the diary is out, I pencil in some exercise too. When it's there in black and white, it's easier to get on with it.
I've been taking this approach for a couple of year now, and it really works for me.
Does anybody else like January, or is it just me??
What a nice way to think about January, and thinking about the Finnish word is so much more positive :-) I've not got out as much as I'd have liked this month but I have to agree that it's lovely to wrap up warm and go exploring in nature x
ReplyDeleteI haven't either, Rachel, I've come down with an awful cold over the last week. As soon as I'm better, I'll be out and about. Hope you will be too :)
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