Winter Thrills and New Order Songs...

And just like that, Blue Monday is over. Another year gone. This time last week we were thigh-deep in the gloom of it all, wading through the overwhelming angst, and contemplating all the misery. Or we were?

Bang on, Dr. Ranj.

I'm not saying everything feels perky and bright in the post-Christmas come down. But I balk slightly at using mental-health terminology about a random annual day. People with actual depression know that it's not confined to a carefully equated day of the year, when tight money, gloomy weather, and New Year's resolutions giving up the fight, are all supposed to converge as one. And then there's the fact that Blue Monday was created as a publicity campaign to sell holidays. Apparently. Put into that manufactured context, it feels silly to even mention it. 

And yet people do mention it. It was all over Twitter last week - trending, or being linked to adverts for businesses, and instructions for self-care. Fair enough. If it helps people suffering from depression to ask for help or even recognise something is wrong, then that can only be a good thing. But in terms of a yearly day of global gloom, I'm not on board.  

This January, I'm feeling the opposite of blue. (The colour wheel tells me this is orange!) What is normally a boring month of routine re-establishment after the Christmas madness, has actually been rather marvellous. I was trying to work out why the other day, and it comes down to this. It is not Summer. 

An actual photo 
of actual sweat. 
June 2018

Everyone knows I dislike Summer. That's standard. Everyone knows I love the build up to Christmas and the constant Met Office tease of a snowy day. Classic. But this year, the glow has been ramped up to eleven because of last year. Last Summer was - and I realise loads of people don't agree with me, so brace yourselves for an opinion - utterly horrendous. The oppressive heat, the never-ending lethargy, the brain fog - I really struggled. There was no let up. It felt like it went on for months. (According to this article it was six weeks.) But six weeks of feeling below par, fed up, and struggling to function was not fun. And because it went on so consistently, it's taken longer to forget. 

My icy, sparkly, pretty skylight!

It's January 28th. The heatwave ended four months ago, and yet I've not forgotten. I can't. It was too much. Plus, it's making me dread this Summer, which is likely to be more of the same. So at this time of year, when I'm usually bored with rain, frustrated that no one is going out, and feeling ready for some excitement now the Christmas shenanigans have died down, I am relishing January. I am loving the dark nights, wallowing in hibernation, and making sure I eke out every bit of Winter fun. 

For the sun worshippers out there, who are willing away the weeks until they can bikini up, drink beer in gardens, and go jogging alone in the evening once more, here are my Winter thrills that might convince you to enjoy the current season with me. See what you think.

No amount of sun can
provide this much pleasure.

Apparel
My fancy title makes this paragraph sound more sophisticated than it is. Put simply, it's jumpers. Jumpers and slippers. Oh how excited I was on an almost-breezy day last year when I was able to wear a jumper again. A big, fluffy, blanket-esque outer layer is the loveliest thing in all the world. I've got myself a bit of a jumper habit these days. I've amassed a range of fleecy, leisure-wear style tops from the PJ section in Tesco. This does not stop me wearing them out and about. When I have to venture forth into the chilly rush-hour darkness, to dash for an essential evening meal ingredient, it's best to do it with SWEET DREAMS emblazoned across my chest in glitter. Fact.

This works because I am
 5ft 4. It's not an inclusive
household for anyone much taller.

Mood Lighting
I had a eureka moment the other day. Like dogs, fairy lights are not just for Christmas*. Now, any visitor to my home can see I've long known this. My dining room ceiling is bedecked with year round white lights strung across it. Yet, it's only during the festive season that they're switched on every day. Come January 6th, I do not flick that switch. UNTIL NOW. I've decided to keep my fairy lights lit as long as the dark nights are upon us. Yes, that's right, I'll stop in March when we spring the hour forward. I will not live by other people's rules, and that includes when is or is not acceptable to switch on fairy lights. Likewise candles. Lighting them in the evening is a lovely, almost ceremonial event, by which to herald the start of Death in Paradise.

As well as a jumper habit, my
Tupperware obsession is
reaching an all time high.

Gorgeous Grub
No One Gets Horny Over Salad will be the title of my eventual cookbook/memoir. But for now, let's just enjoy the stodge of it all. Mashed potato, gravy, curries, chillies, big pans of simmering aromas, and fluffy jacket spuds. I'm not advocating shovelling in carbs till you burst. There are plenty of winter warming foods that hit the spot but keep things healthy. I spent the best part of yesterday making four types of soup, and a stash of baked beans to freeze - mainly to stock up on lunches for the coming weeks - but it was the happiest way to spend an otherwise uneventful Sunday. Bubbling pans and the smell of warming sustenance.** Mmmmmmmm.

Don't forget kids, other
cinema chains are available.

Fab Films
It's Oscar season. This might mean frig all to you (and I agree that a much Oscar-nommed film is not necessarily a standardised quality mark) but it's the time when big hitters, sweet indies, and well-made contenders fill the cinema screens. I've seen The Favourite and I loved it. I've also watched A Star is Born, Stan and Ollie and Mary Poppins Returns. Still to catch are Can You Ever Forgive Me, All Is True, and Mary Queen of Scots. Whether these float your boat or not, the wealth of films that appeal right now is huge. Last Summer I resorted to watching Oceans 8 twice in three days purely so I could be air-conned for a couple of hours. If there'd been all those crackers to choose from, I'd have managed the heat so much better. 

This is not on brand. Get a
plan, Aubrey Plaza. Get a plan.

The Future
Sun lovers, you'll be back on top soon. With January mostly done, your time is coming, and quickly. For me, I'm spending the last few weeks of the hibernation period, planning for what happens when it's done. I need plans in place so that when the nights are lighter and those fairy lights are off, I don't feel rubbish. I'm lucky this year. I've got my sister-in-law's hen do, and my brother's stag do in the diary already. (Yeah, check it out, we're a modern family!) And then there's the annual caravan shebang in May. And then there's Eurovision. And then there's Aussie relatives coming over for my brother's wedding. And then there's my book coming out, and then there's... yeah, yeah, you get the gist.

Looks like it's going to be a busy year. If I'm lucky, I won't have time to notice the seasonal change. Not for a second. And if not, I'll just move into my local cinema for the Summer. That's a plan. Defo. But for now, I'll carry on solemnly lighting evening candles like Jack the Leerie, dribbling homemade soup down my fleece, and planning my next cinema visit. Onwards and upwards. Let's keep on keeping on.

Have a lovely week, folks.


*Obvs my CHRISTMAS lights are just for Christmas. They got shifted back to the loft once the decs went. I'm talking about the non-Christmas lights. You know, those other ones.

** Warming sustenance aka butternut squash, chilli and coconut soup; brocolli and feta soup; smoky tomato, pepper, and chorizo soup; and Chinese chicken curry soup.