Lifestyle | 10 Happy Things in January

Ah January. I have a love-hate relationship with it. In fact, probably my most-used phrase these past few weeks have been 'say no to January'. I'm sick of hearing about gyms, juicing (did everyone get the nutribullet for Christmas?) and no alcohol. I need carbs and wine to get through this damn month.

In this spirit, I'm bringing you 10 happy things about January - feel free to steal any one of them to bring a little sunshine to your day...

1. Tea
Both Lauren and I favour Earl Grey, but a hefty English Breakfast always goes down a treat just the same. There's nothing I love more than a cup of tea when I get home from work/when I wake up/pretty much any given time of day. Comfort in a cup.

2. Planning a getaway
I'm going to Barcelona for a week at the end of March, which I'm so excited about. I went two years ago with my Uni housemates, and 3 nights didn't do it justice. It's such a beautiful city. The weather should be fairly warm (praying for anything above 25c, potentially wishful thinking there), and I'm already looking at summer clothes...!


3. Guilt-free hibernation
The weather is totally shocking. It's icy. It's dark. There is absolutely no reason at all that you should get up before 9am at the weekends. January = thoroughly deserved and totally entitled sleep.

4. Treating yourself
Sales are pulling in their final reductions, which means it's bargain season. I'll pull together a haul at some point, suffice to say I'm so happy with some gorgeous pieces from H&M, Next, Clarks, Jack Wills, Forever 21 and a few others...

5. Meeting up with friends
It's a great time to catch up, because let's face it - we're pretty broke (eating in is the new eating out, don'tcha know?) and we didn't really manage it before Christmas, so let's toast the dark winter evenings with some cheap plonk and hearty dinners. PJs and film marathons optional.

6. Little luxuries
I love curling up with a magazine - it's a relatively cheap way to a little luxury, and a lovely way to grab some me-time away from a screen. Although I'm now driving to work, it was a great way to escape my old train commute. Completely recommend grabbing some gorgeous bath oil and soaking in the tub with the latest in fashion, beauty, interiors, travel and lifestyle. Lauren and I are excited to be working with magazine.co.uk to bring you a little 'best of British' review of the glossies, so stay tuned for that...!

7. Actually getting stuff done
I've lost count of the amount of blogger 'to do' lists I see on Twitter/Instagram/Bloglovin. In a way I think blogging has reached an amazing and weird point for so many of us that have seen the change come from hobby to business. It's a bit nuts and I think so many of us have gone from little more than a diary of ramblings to real aspirations for monetising and living from our little slices of the net. It's a real job - photography, content, analytics, web design, social media - all done with creativity and individuality. It's a pretty awesome set of skills to have, regardless of what you do with it (and I wouldn't have got my day job without them). As a blogging duo, we've had our own little list of goals to write - however we've never been blogging apart before so we're taking it easy on ourselves for quantity, with greater focus on quality. Just as an aside, I need to be just as proactive on my life admin. Bills, dentist, chiropractor, gym. In no particular order.

8. Beautiful winter mornings
I love driving and catching the countryside coated in frost, the low winter sun making everything look rosy. It's stunning and I pinch myself a little, considering I was battling the Northern line daily just two months ago. It makes me feel so grateful and lucky, and without sounding OTT, a little patriotic too.

9. Catching up with a good book
I have a huge list of books that I meant to get my hands on last year - whatever my Mum recommends usually, but I saw a few in my weekly catch ups with Stylist on the tube that I made a mental note to buy borrow or steal! The Miniaturist is high up for me, and I'm reading my new Kate Spade book as slowly as possible - it's so beautiful, and gives me the creative itch just flicking through. I recommend it for Sunday morning lie-in perusing!

10. A 'fresh start' feeling
Finally, I tend to come last in the round up of good intention-ers for January - I love the feeling of a fresh start, but tend to enjoy a lengthy few weeks in working my way up to those fresh start beginnings. Why push it when you'd rather hibernate a little while longer? I'll start tomorrow... 

Felicity