What's So Great About January, Anyway?

by mswen
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January 13, 2009

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January is a lost month. A depressing thirty-one days of pretty much nothing. The holidays are over; people are literally and figuratively hung over, exhausted, and broke after the debauchery and insanity of December. And, to add insult to injury, in many parts of the country the weather is cold, bleak, and drab. But let's look on the bright side. (Otherwise, I'm going to drink myself into oblivion. Which would pretty much throw my New Year's resolutions of positive thinking and healthy living right out the window.) There are a few bright spots to this otherwise boring month, and I'm determined to write about them.

…and who doesn’t want to embrace a new start?! In January, you can turn your back on the sins of the previous 365 days, since a new year means a clean slate and a nice 1/1 date to begin good habits and set lofty goals.

Rather than start immediately acting angelic on January 1 (chances are, you’ll need at least a day of junk food and Bloody Marys to recover from the previous night’s partying), take the first few days of the New Year to set some really good (but achieveable!) resolutions and go from there.

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Planet Fitness

5 Middlesex Ave Ste 203, Somerville, MA 02145

99.9% of people’s resolutions involve weight loss, so obviously gyms are going to be insanely, annoyingly crowded in January. To lessen your wait time for a treadmill, it can be worth it to check out larger gyms (like Planet Fitness) that have plenty of equipment for your newbie fitness needs. And, be patient; if you can stick it out for a few months, chances are no one else will. And pretty soon you’ll have the whole dang place to yourself.

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I know. Shopping is the LAST thing you want to think about after maxing out your credit cards and racing around malls filled with lunatics looking for that specific, obscure video game for your nephew. But the truth is, January is the best time of year to buy virtually anything. So if you’re looking to buy something specific, or you simply have a stack of gift cards to use, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of some unheard of deals.

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Macys Boston

450 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

While most stores are looking to unload inventory, large department stores in particular (like Macy’s) are where you’ll probably get the very best bargains. Because of their buying power, they can afford to slash prices down to the bare minimum, and will still have plenty of good stock left over to choose from.

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With twelve college bowl games and the start of the NFL playoffs, January is a football lover’s dream. With so much on the line, the games are guaranteed to be exciting.

Even if you’re not a diehard fan of the game (or if your team isn’t in contention), you might still revel in the electric playoff atmosphere. Do this by hitting up your favorite local bar during game time, or having people over for a casual gameday get-together. Either way, it’s a free pass to do some fun day drinking and eat delicious, artery-clogging fare.

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Patriot Place

1 Patriot Pl, Foxboro, MA 02035

OK, so the New England Patriots didn’t make the playoffs. Apparently an 11-5 record wasn’t good enough. Meh! So while you won’t be able to go to Gillette Stadium to watch a game, hit up Patriot Place, where tons of great shopping and eating can be had, and you can pick up yourself a Matt Cassel jersey to give a nod to a great season nonetheless.

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Although Boston’s Frog Pond is open starting in November, chances are you didn’t have a second during the mad holiday rush to take advantage of it. January’s eventless weekend afternoons (and colder temps) are the perfect time to take advantage of this great little gem in Boston Common. Even better? Avoid the crowds of kids during the day and go after dark for some quiet (and romantic) night skating, and aftewards hit up nearby Newbury Street for fabulous post-skate meal. Hello, perfect date!

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The Frog Pond at Boston Common

84 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108

Hitting up Frog Pond is one of the sweetest ways to spend an hour or two. And you can rent your skates there, so you don’t need to lug skates to and from the pond.

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If you want something really fun to do on a normally boring Saturday afternoon, hit up the Boston Wine Expo. With 450 wineries from 13 countries serving up over 1,800 different wines to taste, you’ll leave with tons of new favorites to look for at your local liquor store, and verrrry tipsy (that is, if you don’t spit out the wine you sample as is typically done during formal wine tastings. And, my friends, I do not.)

The Wine Expo can be incredibly overwhelming, so the best thing you can do is to plan your attack. Review the floor map ahead of time and mark the regions and/or wineries that you want to visit, and in the order you want to visit them. Your favorite regions and wineries (as well as the more pricey offerings) should come first, so that you can appreciate the tastes before you get buzzed.

More information on the Boston Wine Expo can be found right here.

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Seaport World Trade Center

One Seaport Lane Boston, MA 02210

With over 180,000 square feet of space, any show held at the Seaport World Trade Center is going to be a significant event. So if you’re hitting up the Wine Expo, consider making a night of it and actually stay at the very cool Seaport Hotel. Not in it for the evening? Parking is easy and nearby at the hotel, and the T stops across the street from the hotel. Check out the hotel’s website for more information.

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Many people don’t really equate filing their taxes as something to look forward to, but I do. And if you (like many people) tend to get a decent chunk of change back from Uncle Sam, you might be chomping at the bit to file, too. And luckily, most companies have a policy of getting their employees their W-2 statements by the end of January, and many financial institutions follow suit when sending out your tax documents around the same time.

I make it easy on myself by using TurboTax, and I file electronically so that I get my money as fast as possible.

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On January 20, 2009, we’ll have a new President. And whether or not he was your guy, it’s going to be a hugely historical event.

If you’re ambitious, you might be one of the projected 2 million people who pour into Washington, D.C. to be there live. (If you are, be prepared to endure gridlocked traffic and historically long waits at airports and for things like buses and taxi cabs.) Most of us, however, will be glued to the TV for the swearing in, or attending (or throwing) an Inauguration party.

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