January, I love you (more than December)

Waking up to fresh snow is one of my favorite things, and I will forever find snow to be a beautiful, magical, sparkling wonder. Right now, I’m having a Lorelai Gilmore moment, refreshing my weather app every hour, because we’re supposed to have 3-5 inches of snow by morning, and I’m hoping for at least a school delay. (Teachers love delays too, obviously.)

Flurries aside, the January slowdown is my favorite. After the non-stop thrill ride that is Halloween through New Year’s Eve, January is a sigh of relief. The Christmas decor comes down (yes, instantly), the calendar clears, and my shoulders nearly crackle as the stress of creating all that holiday magic finally leaves my body. 

I’ve always loved symmetry, and the way January balances out the holiday months is near perfection. After spending November and December being jolly, merry, and bright, January practically begs us to hibernate in our houses and eat soup (a true hug of a meal). Actually, my draft for this entry started with this list:

• Soup

• Bone-chilling cold

• Gratitude

I love the juxtaposition of these very January things. I know it sounds odd to include “bone-chilling cold” on a list of reasons to love January, but hear me out: nothing makes me more appreciative of a warm place to call home quite like a January freeze. The icy temps encourage only the coziest of attire—chunky sweaters, fleecy sweatshirts, wooly socks, and so on. January is the time to find a new favorite show, start a book, get into puzzles, and cancel plans, because when it's -20 outside like it was in Indiana this week, leaving the house is quite strongly discouraged. 

I know a lot of the chatter in January trends toward making resolutions, choosing a word of the year, creating goals, and forging a “new you.” If anything, though, January is very clearly trying to tell us to do exactly the opposite. 

January wants us to pause. It is an invitation to be still and quiet and yes, maybe mull over a few goals, but for the love of everything, we all need to take a break. People are not meant for an endless hustle of productivity and achievement. Hibernating for a few weeks while everything is still and blanketed in snow is exactly what my soul needs to start a new year with my best (Ugg-clad) food forward. 

Here’s the thing, though: if you try out a January pause and still find yourself pining for the sun-washed days of July, the good news is this: January turns into February, which melts (and mushes and slushes) into March and April, and eventually, it’s warm again. Like always. :)