So, right, the thing is, if one more person tells that they hate January, goes on about dry January or mentions Blue Monday I will poke them in the eye. January is not something to be endured. January is not a trial of Hercules. Surviving January is not up there with slaying a hydra or capturing a Cretan bull.<\/p>\n
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Full disclosure – my birthday is in January. And it’s before payday. I spend the run up\u00a0to my birthday with everyone telling me how awful the month of my birth is, which given the gift I am to creation is bloody rude.<\/p>\n
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So here is a short list of all the wonderful things about January.<\/p>\n
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Clean Slate<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You get to start a new diary, a fresh page, turn over a new leaf. There are 350 days to go of this year. We are merely dipping a toe in the water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Empty Restaurants<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In January people are usually being good. Too much food eaten, drink imbibed and money spent over Christmas leaves them hibernating. This leaves restaurants quieter than usual. Yay! It’s easier to get a table, it’s not crowded or rushed. Leisurely dining is here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Discount Vouchers<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another food one. Restaurants need to coax some people in (not me) and they get discount happy. Face stuffing gets cheaper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Coats<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s big coat weather. I love a coat. At the weekend I can get in three coat changes a day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nights In<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The telly is good, you light the candles, you get into comfies and eat foods that are mainly mash and gravy. If people visit they hunker down as it’s not worth the effort to warm up again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Birthdays<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The best people are born in January. Diane Keaton, Vinnie Jones*, Rowan Atkinson, Nic Cage, David Bowie, Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, Mary J Blige, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, LL Cool J, Dave Grohl, Kate Moss, Betty White, Zooey Deschanel, Kevin Costner, Dolly Parton, Etta James, Alan Alda, Gene Hackman, Justin Timberlake, Oprah and me!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reasons To Celebrate<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s not just birthdays. We’ve survived mid-winter. We got through Christmas. We made it back to work and are still going. It is a time to raise a glass and celebrate just what we’ve done and what we’ve got to look forward to. January is about expectation and hope.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So please\u00a0stop with the Blue Monday bollocks. Look around notice the good stuff and wrap yourself up in thermals until spring.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n *I’m not joking about my love for Vinnie Jones’ movie career. His is my favourite version of The Mean Machine because it’s boss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n