Jazzing up January

Let's be honest with ourselves. January is a bleak month.

Granted, excitement about resolutions and a new beginning usually does me good for a few weeks in. But then the grey settles.

I've tried, in years past, to overcome the ever-apathetic, energy-sapping January greys.
When Heather and I were the co-presidents of BYU's Woman's Chorus (a thought which should in and of itself make you LAUGH) we held a giant mess of an activity called "June in January." If I remember correctly, the program involved a flower for every choir member and car-pooling small groups of singers to several local rest homes - you know, to share some musical sunshine. I can't remember if it was fun or rewarding, but I do remember resolving never to organize 200 people into car pools again. I've made pretty good on that resolve.
Again, when I was a BYU RA, I attempted some sort of fight-the-winter-gloom activity with the residents in my building. I believe we spread out blankets all over our lobby floor and attempted a pot-luck "picnic" in the pretend sunshine.

But this year, I'm done trying to smother January with sunshine. Instead, we're attempting to embrace it in all of its freezing cold, Christmas light-less glory. We're currently in the middle of a January...count-down (for lack of a better term).
Everyday Lucy opens an envelope and we participate in whatever winter-ish activity is specified inside. The activities are as simple as can be, but of course, half the fun is to "open it up!! It's an envelope!"
I know, I know, It's kind of cheating to steal the Christmas advent idea and use it in January. But we ARE cheating, big time, because we also separated our pile of Christmas decorations into "Christmas" and "Winter" categories, the latter items being used in our Jazz-Up-January cause.
And so we Trumans wish you a merry, if grey, January. Just don your shivers and burrrrs and you can join us in our month of freezing joy. (I almost hate to admit that we're kind of having fun! Give me ten years of this happy-wintering and I just might bump this frigid first month of the year up to second-least-favorite of the twelve!!)
We'll post pics of our January activities at the end of the month.
You got any favorite wintertime traditions? Send them our way!!