January is quite a hard month for a lot of people. We have just had the excitement of Christmas festivities and then ….Boom! The decorations have to come down, it’s cold and dark outside and our December wage has to last 225 days. To help pass the month with a bit more cheer here are a few things to do in January.
Have you made your New Year, New Me goals yet? What’s on your list this year? Fitness? Saving for a holiday? Every year I make some goals and then it gets sidelined due to work, illness, etc then I don’t get back into it again. So this year I’ve decided that I’m not going to bother making any goals and just make little changes here and there when I have the time and see if that makes a difference instead.
Although it is tempting to vegetate indoors until Springtime, why not wrap up warm, wear good grippy footwear and head out on a wintry walk. Things look a lot prettier when covered with a dusting of snow. You could even build a snowman or have a snowball fight.
While out on your Wintry walk why not have nature hunt and see what you can find? You could guess which animal made their tracks in the snow. Look for icicles hanging from buildings. See if you can spot a Robin. You can print some sheets online of things to find or you can even buy a book like this Gruffalo Autumn and Winter Nature Trail.
The 6th January is the last day for taking down all the Christmas decorations. I always find that my home looks all bare and empty once every thing is away. To brighten up the gloominess after all the twinkling lights of Christmas, I leave out a few candles and some fairy lights for a bit a glow.
Once the Festive season is over I switch over Noah’s Christmas books to his Winter themed ones. I have read seasonal books to him over the last 3 years so he can begin to understand the changing seasons which he does seem to grasp now. I have bought a few new ones to replace the more ‘babies’ ones that he had and will be putting up a post on that very soon. However if you are looking for any recommendations on adult books to read then I’m afraid you have came to the wrong place. It’s been a number of years since I last read a book that didn’t involve a cute little bunny, Santa Claus or Gruffalo.
If you have room to store it (and remember in December where you put them) buying next Christmas’ cards, wrap, stocking fillers, etc is a really good way to save some money. I also buy Winter/Christmas clothes for Noah in the next size up during the sales too.
In Scotland on the 25th January we celebrate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert (Rabbie) Burns with a Burn’s Supper. Traditionally this is a meal of Haggis (best not knowing what’s in here), neeps (turnip/swede) and tatties (potatoes). You can also get vegetarian haggis if you don’t want to eat a normal one. But alas, no gluten free veggie version for me. I have tried to make one but I’ve yet to come across a recipe that I actually like. If you know of any then let me know below.
What things will you be doing this January?