How to Deal with January Letdown

January is always kind of a mixed bag at my house.

On one hand, we’re sorry to see the end of the holiday season. To say goodbye to the parties and celebrations, the delicious foods, the friends and family, and the traditions that carry us through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. I really miss the gently twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and the ones that light up our streets.

On the other hand, I’m glad to take a breath after six weeks of packed schedules, shopping lists, abundant meals (at least the ones I have to cook), and the clutter that comes from packing boxes, new toys, and gifts that are waiting to be given. The endless amount of things to be done can easily strangle the joy from the season if you’re not careful.

And then it’s over.

January comes with its fresh start; a new calendar, a new planner, a new year. It’s exciting, especially as you start making resolutions and goals to work toward this year. I look at a new planner like my kids eye a new set of Trainmaster tracks. The possibilities are enticing.

But it’s also a little sad. The lights are coming down, some right away, others by the end of the month. (I once left our Christmas tree up until February to avoid the January blues). Those lights hanging off the eaves of the nearby houses that guide you home every night are replaced by boring street lights. The radio station playing all those familiar Christmas songs has gone back to playing oldies.

I notice that the spirit of the season that provides a push for people to be more grateful, more generous, and more kind seems to leak out as January goes on. My grocery store cashier may have been saying “Happy Holidays” out of habit, but I still appreciated the sentiment. Now we’re back to, “Have a nice day.” Oh, well.

So even though there are a lot of great things about January (my husband’s birthday, our wedding anniversary, the return of stir-crazy kids to school), I still battle a feeling of the wind being let out of my sails at the beginning of the year.

I know I’m not the only one so I thought I’d pass on a few ideas that might help to avoid that familiar January letdown.

• Extend the season. Who says you have to take your lights down January 2^nd? Well, okay, if it’s your Homeowner’s Association then you kind of have to. But. There’s no reason that you can’t keep some of your favorite holiday pieces up until spring. The fancy dining room tablecloth. The nativity scene. The lights strung around your backyard. The frosted pine cone centerpiece. If it makes you happy to see it for a few more weeks, then why not?
• Keep the giving going. One of the best things about the holidays is the giving. Not just what we give to our families and friends, but the charitable giving we do as well. I know a lot of us are financially fatigued after Christmas, but our time is just as valuable. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, offer to babysit for a new mom who you know needs a break, or help out in your child’s classroom. Here’s a great place to check for local opportunities.

I’ve set up an assembly line with my kids, each filling bags with toiletries, warm socks, snacks, and water. We leave the bags in our car so we can hand them out to the homeless that panhandle at traffic lights around town. They’re not very expensive to make and it gives my kids the chance to keep on giving, too.

• Don’t let the lack of holiday parties keep you from socializing. I think it is human nature to want to hole up in the winter, to avoid the cold temperatures and shorter days by staying indoors where it’s warm and comfortable. Even in Las Vegas, where 50 degrees sends us racing for our mittens, the winter months keep a lot of us curled up at home. No snow required.

But who wants to give up all the fun that was had connecting with friends and family like we do at the end of the year? Make a coffee date, invite someone over for dinner, have your kids’ friends over for hot cocoa and cookies. Offer hospitality. This element of the holidays can be enjoyed year round.

 

It’s easy to see January as gray and cold, winter without the wonderland. Or see it as more of an end than a beginning. But it really is just what we make it.

So it can seem like a cold and sad month, or it can be a chance to keep on pursuing our favorite parts of the last few months. We can let go of the clutter and the expectations and instead embrace the fun and the joy of our gifts, our friends, our families, and our homes.

January is all about starting the year off right.

 

Have you ever experienced a letdown when January rolls in? What do you do to lift yourself up? Or do you love January and can’t wait for it to finally get here? I’d love to hear what you think and what you do to start the year off with joy. Let me know in the comments!