Many years have gone by where January was a tough month for me. These emotional and sometimes physical plummets were often a result of the holiday season suddenly becoming a memory; no longer an experience. No longer a reality. Mind you, I am no stranger to the alternate side of the holiday season – the financial toll it can take on one, the stress of traveling to different places (and trying to coordinate plans), painful memories that can be brought on, etc.

That said, I am very fortunate that the holiday season is typically a happy time for me. I see friends and family I don’t get to see often, I am more inspired to cook and bake, I tend to read more, and come on … who doesn’t love a corny holiday movie? Cozy season is in full swing. So, as soon as I open my eyes (which I am grateful for alone) on January 1st I often feel a small pit of sadness to bid another holiday season farewell.

There is a slow gradual build-up to the holidays and it seemingly all gets pulled away in one instance. This feeling used to debilitate me for days … some years, even weeks.

In recent years though I have been trying to get better at dealing with these feelings.

It’s not January’s fault it’s the month that follows December and we (I) shouldn’t give it a hard time for something it can’t control. January has historically gotten a bad reputation in my books, but it shouldn’t have. Since trying to get better at dealing with my post-Christmas sadness over the years I have come to find many reasons to love January.

Here are just a few of them.

1. A new beginning (there’s truly no fresher start than the beginning of a New Year).
2. January is a wonderful time to pick up a new hobby (this year, my hobby has been hand-knitting blankets).
3. With the colder weather, you don’t need to feel bad about having a cozy night in.
4. Experimenting with new recipes (bonus points if it’s a soup).
5. Dim lighting and candles (hello warm cozy ambiance).
6. Waking up early (there’s just something so warm about waking up early on a cold January morning).
7. A new activity or event (I always try to plan something later in the month, so I have something else to look forward to – this year my sister gifted my mom, aunt, and me tickets to a play in Toronto).
8. Goals or New Year’s resolutions (they do not need to be big or life-changing but I love having something to work towards).
9. The crisp air (controversial opinion as a Canadian, but I love the colder weather – I love wearing hats, going on walks, seeing how the snow (or lack of sun) changes my perspective on my surroundings, etc.).
10. The slowness (January is supposed to be a time when we slow down, recharge, and relax and this year, I plan to do just that).

Here are some photos from January so far: a blanket I recently finished, a new poetry collection I got, my candle making kit, the first tarot card I pulled this year, and a snippet of the book I’m currently reading.

I am grateful to have slowly repaired my relationship with January over the years. And with that, I’ll leave you with a quote:

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer,” Albert Camus.

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