Hurrah! It's a new year. Full of new hopes and dreams and this one is definitely OURS. Bleurgh. Cue the New Years blues. We're finally full; of the vigour and joys of our finally eased New Years hangovers and Christmas pudding, yet we're haunted, desperately clutching at the last stray sausage roll, haunted by all the resolutions forgotten last year, all the bucket list items that remained in the bucket and with a whole new belly to lose in three days. Work is looming, bills will soon start to shoot sadistically through the letterbox. Could things get any worse?
No, so here are some reasons to be cheerful in January - put down that sausage roll!
1. The sales are here! Not only can we make the most of them and exchange all those hideous jumpers and socks for something much nicer and much smaller, thanks nana, but the sales can be used as a resolution saver. If you've saved up a lot of passive aggression over the festive season and promised to join a gym as soon as you can lift yourself from the armchair, don't bother. Fill two medium sized shopping bags with some heavy items, perhaps unused coal, and dive in to the throng of shoppers, elbows akimbo. Workout and passive aggression resolved in one.
2. If you don't fancy going out into the cold mass of post-Christmas at least you can revel in the prospect of shiny new television. The disappointing and dire specials have been shut back into the Christmas cupboard, now the soaps can get good again, we can sink our teeth into some decent drama and there might even be some new comedy. I did ask Father Christmas. In a similar vein, no more Mariah Carey on the radio, instead she'll undoubtedly be replaced by last year's X Factor winner. . . . Sam Bailey? Remember? You fickle lot.
3. Over indulged over Xmas? You probably weren't the only one and that is highly worth remembering. Did nana have one two many Sherries and admit she never liked Uncle Kevin's new wife? Perhaps a brother or sister was shamed into secretly admitting it was they that broke the best crockery or was caught feeding their turkey to the dog. Ha ha! What useful information you know have at your fingertips to dispose of as and when you will or keep quiet for a princely sum! See, the rest of the year stretching ahead doesn't seem so bad now does it? Unless you were the one caught having a fag behind the garage, with a bottle of whiskey, in your dad's dressing gown.
4. Alternatively perhaps you're celebrating that you don't have to see your family again for some time (unless you "accidentally" bump into them in the sales). It's been nice but get out now. You are no longer obliged to attend family functions or every invitation that falls through the door. You're free and the office party is another cringe-inducing year away. It's fine, you might have been fired by then. Shut the door, lock it, draw the curtains, the rest of the winter months are yours for hibernation and rejuvenation. There might still be a party-sized box of Indian snacks in the freezer, go on, get your jammies on and bask in the glow.
5. And of course the best reason to be cheerful in January is that it's only 360-odd days till Christmas!