How to Survive January

Let's face it. This is the tough one out of the winter months. In December, you get distracted by the holidays. February is a short month so it seems to be over in a blink of an eye. It may still be snowing in March, but the bitter cold is gone, besides you can order your garden seeds and maybe even start a few inside. Nope. It's January that is rough. It's so rough, that we chose to get married in January on a Monday (perhaps the roughest of weekdays, although Tuesday is a close contender) because it could only get better from there.

Here are a few of my January survival strategies, some new this year, some tried and true:

• Redecorate the living space: We now have new couch slipcovers, a new rug, a new dining room table and will soon have new dining room chairs and a new light fixture. If you have to be inside this much, at least it can be pretty.
• Force some bulbs indoors: How can you be blue when you see those tender spring green stalks? My amaryllis is slowly poking its way upward soon to add a bright flash of valentine red into the house. Grow inside until you can grow outside.
• Get outside everyday if you can. Check in on your favorite nature sites to see what's going on even if you mostly look from inside your car.
• Wear a down vest under a down coat. It may not look particularly elegant, but it feels like you are still tucked warmly in your bed.
• Listen to music that evokes fond memories of previous winters. Try to find some new songs to love for use in future years. If all else fails, break out that favorite mix from July and remember what the sun felt like on all that exposed skin.