Let's face it, January is not exactly everyone's favourite month. Your bank balance is considerably depleted, you're almost certain you snogged your colleague at the office party, and you're beginning to regret consuming your bodyweight in chocolate. The outlook looks pretty bleak.
But wait, there are actually plenty of reasons to get excited about January. Here are just a few of the great things in store ...
No more Christmas shopping.
If you've spent the past few weeks on a quest for the perfect Christmas present for your Auntie Brenda, you'll know that Christmas shopping is not always the most pleasurable of experiences. Whether you're buying a gift for the girl who has everything, or shopping for the fussiest relative in the world; shopping for other people is hard. Shopping for yourself, however, is a whole other story. Well, guess what? January is all about you.
Online dating picks up.
January is a great month for looking for love -- or lust, depending on your preferences. Jan. 4 is the busiest day of the year for online dating, with sites like Match.com reporting a 25% increase in new members. Now is the time to start swiping right to fill up your January dance card.
No more Christmas parties (and invasive questions).
If you're single and ready to mingle, there's nothing like a Christmas party to make you feel like you're going to die alone. Thankfully, January spells the end of holiday parties, and, consequently, the end of awkward small talk and probing questions about your love life (or lack thereof).
The pubs really empty out.
Unless you want to witness some painfully-awkward office party behaviour, pubs are best avoided for the entire month of December. January, however, is a very different story. Whether Brits are observing Dry January, or simply cannot face the idea of any more alcohol, pubs in January are a ghost town. And, it's truly wonderful. Bottoms up!
Proper cold, wintery weather.
You might have noticed, but winter hasn't really arrived yet in the UK. 2015 has seen the warmest (and sweatiest, for that matter) December on record. That might sound ideal to those of us who hate the winter chill, but for many people, this mild weather is wreaking havoc on our winter wardrobe choices. Here's hoping that January 2016 will bring us cooler weather. Who knows, maybe we'll even get snow?
The evenings will start to get longer.
When it comes to leaving the house, those dark winter nights could not be less inviting. Once we're past the winter solstice, however, the evenings will begin to get longer, and you won't find yourself plunged into darkness at 4 p.m. The bad news is: you're out of excuses for cancelling your plans.
Gym memberships will be knocked down.
It's the moment we've all been waiting for: joining the gym. Just kidding, but we do love a bargain. Expensive joining fees can make gym memberships feel completely out of reach. January is the best month for joining the gym, as most gyms will be slashing their membership fees in a bid to drive sign-ups. So, if getting fit is on your list of resolutions, make the most of the good deals and sign up for a fraction of the usual price.
There will be TV that's actually worth your time watching.
Goodbye X Factor, farewell Strictly Come Dancing, adios The Apprentice. We can all breathe one deep sigh of relief as the very worst examples of British television disappear from our TV screens. What's more: Christmas television will also be banished from our screens once the New Year begins. Because you can only watch Elf so many times.
You'll break all of your New Year's resolutions.
It's fun to come up with New Year's Resolutions. Especially when you know you have zero intention of keeping them. So here's to all the rebels out there who know that resolutions are made to be broken.
But you'll stop the Christmas overeating and be happy about it.
One or two mince pies are fine, but once you've hit the 50 mark you begin to question your life decisions. The old adage of 'everything in moderation' seems to go out the window at Christmas time, with never-ending supplies of Brussels sprouts, cocktail sausages and stuffing balls. Thankfully, January is a time for repentance and some much-needed detoxing. There's a reason Christmas only comes once a year.