What have you got against January?

I’m not one to rant (ahem) but as a true Brit there is nothing I love more than an underdog, and an unpopular one at that.

Who keeps the crap acts in X factor out of sympathy? Me.

Who backs the horse with the worst odds because they feel sorry for it? Me.

And who’s starting a campaign to love January? I think you can see where i’m going with this. So as January’s ally I feel like we should clear some things up…

Yes Christmas is over. It’s over every year. Get. Over. It. How amazing was it really? I know what you’re going to say..

1. It was so nice to see friends and family, yadda yadda…

2. You got those expensive shoes you wanted yadda yadda…

3. You got engaged, yadda yadda….

Well here is what I say to you:

1. You should invest more time in the people you love in the other months too, look inside yourself girlpants and put some Jan time aside for loved ones.

2. You are spoilt. Good for you. And when do you think you’re going to wear those fancy shoes? Correctomundo – In the Christmas jumper free and well dressed month of January.

And finally –

3. Congratulations (I’m not completely heartless… plus I got engaged in December many moons ago, great choice of engagement month – spend January celebrating).

The next thing I hear is ‘nothing happens in January’. Well what the bloody hell happens in September? (My daughter’s birthday FYI) or March? or April? I know what you’re thinking.. you’re dreaming of warmer months aren’t you? but if you are reading this in the UK then think again reader. January is not full of false hope of warmer days that don’t materialise like the Spring and Summer months. It makes no promises of nicer weather, longer days or strange celebrations of attempted assassination attempts (I’m looking at you November). So yes, there is no gunpowder, treason or plot in January, but you can’t hold that against a month. And as for December? That is so last year.

At school, sure, January would have been the kid who was picked on by July and August but who really liked July and August anyway? They have nothing about them, they are predictable and look good in theory but have little content. There are only so many lazy summer days you can have before the desire to get back to routine takes over. And, I might add, its always the kid who was picked on at school who amounts to something spectacular, lulling us all into thinking they would fade away into obscurity and then becoming hugely successful and exciting.

Like January.

So January, I stand in solidarity with you, don’t listen to those other months, they boast of big events but I know you have great things planned for us, should we decide to recognise you as just as much of a time period as the others.

This year I’m not depending on the events already written in my filofax (yeah, my filofax, you heard) to determine my enjoyment of the month. In case you’re interested the 6th of January is ‘Cuddle Up‘ day. Weird. Don’t believe me? Google it (I had to). But that basically proves that there’s a day for everything, in every month, predetermined or otherwise. Let’s determine our enjoyment of a month on the basis of what we decide to do with it, rather than what others have advised us to do. (Alternatively cuddle up people).

So here’s to a very Happy January and a distinctly average rest of the year.