December is a wonderful month. The holidays, parties, and houses decked out in lights combine to create a festive atmosphere that can be difficult to find the rest of the year. However, the first day back at work in January comes with a reminder that the festivities are over, and this often leads to the month getting a bad rap – Christmas bills come due, the winter weather is at its coldest, and New Year’s resolutions quickly become a burden.
That said, I see plenty of reasons to celebrate January. One of the first is that the days start getting longer. In Chicago, the sun sets 34 minutes later on January 31 than it does on January 1. For most of the year it is rare that I escape the office before sunset, but seeing daylight linger a little longer each afternoon is more of a sign of warm weather on its way than a tree full of robins.
The National Football League playoffs are another favorite part of January. When it comes to sports, the only two that keep my interest for more than a few minutes are football and curling. As a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan stuck in Chicago, it’s nice to see something other than the Bears on television once in a while. This is not a Winter Olympics year, so I will be unable to watch curling, thus making the NFL playoffs the last sports I see on television until August.
I enjoy puns immensely, and throughout December and January will pretend to accidentally refer to this month as Danuary. It never fails to elicit rolled eyes and exasperated groans from my friends who have to put up with this joke each year.
New calendars are always a joy, and I like to buy both large wall calendars and daily puzzle calendars. I usually get a calendar of weather facts for the office wall, and, after two years of Scrabble, I’ve switched to Mensa puzzles for this year’s daily calendar.
January is also National Blood Donor Month. This is less something to celebrate and more something I think is extremely important. If you are eligible to donate blood but don’t, give it a try. There is always a need.
Musically speaking, I remember from my school days that January brought with it a heap of new music, as we prepared for contests, solo and ensemble festivals, and spring concerts in the three different bands I played with. I enjoy almost every Christmas song, but after hearing these tunes in stores for the last two months, change is refreshing as well.
I try to find the best in every situation, but, as cold and dreary as it is, I really do find quite a bit of good in January. I hope the new year brings you much good as well.
