Not much of a January fan. However, here’s some reasons it can be a special month

January is two crayons — gray and brown.

January is three coats hung on one wall hook and being uncertain which coat to grab and wear today.

January is oh my, it’s 8 p.m. — time for bed already?

January is mostly cold, gray, wet and gloomy.

January is sneaking in a sunny, 45-degree day occasionally. It feels like 70 degrees because the sun is shining. Where’s my shorts?

January is scraping ice off my windshield one morning and scraping mud off my golf cleats the next afternoon.

January is street salt on my car, clumps of melted snow on my garage floor, fear of frozen water pipes but a continuous drip from my nose.

January is a tough transition. We leave December and the festive holiday season. Nostalgia. Mistletoe. Boom! We end up in January — the cold, dark, gray, boring, unpredictable month.

January is a frame of mind, too. Post-holiday blues. Less daylight. Too much time indoors. Too much TV and not enough fresh air.

Popular January conversations:

• Did you get your flu shot?
• Don’t the holidays seem like they happened forever ago?
• Do you think we will ever return to normal as we once knew normal?
• What game’s on TV tonight?

Ever notice that more people walk with their heads down in January?

I’ve written columns about the beauty of October and its Harvest moons, orange and gold foliage, and the start of hockey season.

I’ve written columns about April, and the rebirth of nature and the start of baseball season.

I enjoy July — my birthday month — and March because of spring training, St Patrick’s Day and the return of Daylight Saving Time.

I like August because it marks the start of football season and I know fall is around the corner.

And December. The memories. The holiday music. Trimming a tree. Cookies for breakfast. And lunch. Traditions. The past is never more present. One more cookie before bed..

January? Not much to write about, really. Cold, gray, gloomy, hungry, sore, irritable. And unpredictable. Tired, too.

Where and when is vacation?

Here’s some reasons to ‘like’ January

But January 2023 has offered a fresh start and opportunity for new perspective. I made a list of reasons why January can be a special month. It’s up to me to find some July in January:

• More naps acceptable. In January, you can take a nap any time, any day or night, and not miss anything.
• Sunglasses rarely needed. It’s dark every morning when I leave for work. It’s dark every evening when I get home from work.
• No tread loss on my bike tires. My road bikes rest on the garage’s bike rack. The winter rest saves tire tread for spring, summer and fall. I know it’s January because I removed the bike rack from the back of my Honda Pilot. A sobering day until it returns in March.
• Save money; less golf. For the record I played golf Jan. 1, 2023. The key to playing golf less and saving money is also staying away from the golf shop. I have bought more new putters in January than other months. I have learned it’s the gripper, not the grips.
• A warm smile goes a longer way in January. New year resolutions are fresh. That means more people are moody and irritable because they’re hungry and sore from new diets and workouts. Smile at them. Hope they don’t slug you.
• Wear a hat — any hat — in January. It doesn’t matter what your hat looks like as long as it keeps your head and ears warm.
• Style doesn’t matter as much in January. Besides your hat, wear any sweater, coat, shoes or pants you want, as well. It’s January. Everyone is looking down. No one’s paying attention.

So what’s after January?

February. We will be a month closer to St. Patrick’s Day, spring training, golf weather, longer days and putting the bike rack back on my SUV.

Hope. It’s so warm, bright and cheerful.

This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Not much of a January fan. However, here’s some reasons it can be a special month."