Poor January and February aren’t very popular months in the northern hemisphere. Warmer months of the year invite plenty of outdoor fun and festivities, and any unpleasantness brought on by December’s decreasing temperatures and darker days is alleviated by the festive holiday spirit. After December, however, many people have less to look forward to in the coming months other than bearing the cold and working hard to make up for taking time off over the holidays (an especially common workplace expectation in the USA).
The key point to learn from this information is this: the December holidays immunize us from winter’s chill by offering plenty of festive calendar-based traditions which we are eager to continue year after year, both individually and (especially) corporately. Can we therefore assume that such cheery routines will offer us joy, purpose and companionship during the rest of the winter, too? I think so. That is why we’re going to learn how to make new traditions!
Why We’ve Been Sad During Winter
At first glance, January seems unimpressive compared to December. For me, even though my birthday’s in January, birthdays in adulthood don’t carry the same excitement and anticipation they did during childhood. Nor do tasks like shoveling snow on the street around your car’s tires at 7:00 AM before work (as a child, our only task involving snow was building the biggest snow fort). February doesn’t offer us much more. While decorating pretty Valentines shoe boxes in elementary school was fun, adult Valentine’s Day is hardly thrilling since the go-to event usually involves scheduling dinner reservations at a swank restaurant (or, if you’re me and forgot to make reservations back in October, enjoying any of the international restaurants which are never full on Valentine’s Day and often much tastier than boujie ones).
Rather than continue to feel disappointed by the first two months of the year, we can learn to make new traditions and enrich how we experience other holidays during this season. We need more traditions to look forward to in the first two months of the year in order to combat the increasingly gray days and colder temperatures. The best kept secret is that this isn’t hard at all. I’ll share curated ideas below, and I bet you could come up with some great ones too after a little brainstorming. So let’s delve into ideas for fun new seasonal traditions and for fresh ways to observe this season’s holidays.
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January: Get Organized Month
As a truly a clean start to the year, January is Get Organized Month. This can encompass both our inner space and our physical home. It is true that getting organized is so much easier said than done. I am never quite as organized as I would like to be, but that is why it is important to remember that even small things can make a difference. If you’re overwhelmed by clutter, don’t go about trying to clean the entire house if you cannot fathom where you will find the time before next Christmas. Just take a moment to brainstorm what would be most helpful and feasible to do now, and take action.
One tangible way that I’ve been able to mitigate disorganization is by using plenty of bins, trays and similar vessels for separating and categorizing items. Here are a few things that have proven useful for my home:
- Stackable kitchen cabinet shelves/organizers (these fit nicely inside a cabinet to neatly store more small items)
- Translucent pastel-coloured storage bins with lids (perfect for small toys or any small items)
- Blue fabric storage baskets (great for clean, dirty or ‘clirty’ laundry) – I use these for storing my sons’ pre-assembled outfits for the school week
- Faux leather tray (this is both handsome and useful for containing paperwork, snacks/drinks, or any other items)
- 5-tier metal organizer tray (super helpful for organizing piles of paperwork)
- Wooden nesting trays with handles (while this set of trays is the only thing among this list that I haven’t personally purchased, it has good reviews and could easily serve multiple purposes)
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day falls on the third Monday of January (his birthday is the 15th). We can honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by finding local MLK Day events to commemorate the impact of his life on the Civil Rights movement and on American history. Check events in your community to find a parade, candlelit vigil, educational program at the library, or other such activities in which you can participate.
Volunteering with organizations that work toward racial equality is the most impactful way to honor the memory of Martin Luther King, whether during the holiday or any time of the year. We can join Black Lives Matter gatherings at universities and places of worship or, if unable to find or participate in local events, we can show our support by donating to any organization that promotes equality for a historically underprivileged group of people. Remember, you may be only one person but the candle you light, whether figurative or literal, is one light closer to illuminating injustice and empowering positive forward movement together.
February: Black History Month
In February, we can celebrate Black History Month by choosing to learn more about the rich African American history that continues to this day. If you cannot find a program or event at your local library or community, reach out to your friends and family to see whether there are any untold stories from which you can learn or from which your children can learn.
I attended a business event years ago in which a young entrepreneur named Zim Ugochukwu spoke about her business, Travel Noire, and the events in her life that led her to begin a blog about traveling black. Not only was she the first woman I met who’d created a successful and impactful online business, but she tapped into a much needed niche inspired by her own travel experiences. I learned about situations that I, as a white person, have never encountered, and I’m grateful that she shared what she experienced as a black woman. Our lives are always enriched when we expand our awareness by listening to others’ stories. Find an opportunity to do so during Black History Month or any time.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, occurs as early as January 21st or as late as February 20th. In 2026, it begins on Tuesday, February 17th. It can be tricky to find public celebrations in much of the non-metropolitan USA, but you may find celebrations at Chinese establishments or other cultural organizations. Or host your own Chinese New Year party!
Several years ago my spouse and I enjoyed our first dragon dance at a local Chinese restaurant when we celebrated the New Year, and friends and I made red paper cutouts with Chinese characters to display on our windows and doors. If you have any leftover red and gold decor from Christmas, this is a timely way to incorporate that (and same with Valentine’s Day on February 14th).
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, or ‘Fat Tuesday’ in English, sometimes falls in March but is often in February. The celebrations usually revolve around parties and, depending on where you live, parades, festivals and music events. If you want to celebrate but can’t find local opportunities, you can easily host a fun Mardi Gras theme party with festive foods, libations, music and games.
Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has always been a favourite minor holiday of mine regardless of age or relationship status. It’s probably the reason I’ve always loved the pink and red combo (and it helps that I’m a lovecore junkie and romantic at heart)!
Valentine’s Day tends to get a bad reputation because people who are single or in unhappy relationships feel excluded from a celebration that is advertised to focus solely on sweet coupledom. The origin of the holiday is indeed thought to celebrate secret matrimony performed by Saint Valentine for soldiers during a time when marriage was outlawed for them, but that is not the sort of sappy romance most modern skeptics associate with the holiday in its current form. That is a love that defies threats and takes risks.
There are plenty of ways to celebrate love no matter your current situation. And keep in mind that there are multiple types of love, primarily including a healthy and essential self-love, romantic love of your significant other, and platonic love of friends and family. Here are a few Valentine-oriented ideas to make new traditions which, unless otherwise specified, can be done with a significant other or alone or with friends:
Daydream fest (alone)
Queue Blondie’s ‘Dreaming’! Take a moment, whether in the shower or in bed or during any other non-rushed period of solitude, to meditate on the most exciting and romantic thing that could to happen to you. Your daydream need not be realistic (it is a fantasy), but you can brainstorm ways to (appropriately) incorporate elements of it into your real life, however that may look. Daydreaming is a fun and simple indulgence, but it also allows you to learn about yourself and what your soul yearns from romance. It might very well look different for you than it does for others. Embrace and celebrate that!
Explore a new place
There’s nothing sexier than growing your brain. Seriously! When you explore new places or do new things, you literally open new neural pathways that didn’t exist before. And that inevitably makes you a more interesting and experienced person, most importantly for yourself. Plan a weekend getaway to explore a new town or city (even if it’s just 20 minutes away). Any kind of travel is important. Such an excursion introduces exciting and unexpected novelty when you step outside of your local, everyday space.
If you cannot afford to stay overnight somewhere (and there are no Couchsurfing options or other cheaper alternatives), then make it a day trip and still make a point to either eat a meal out or pack a tasty picnic. If it’s someplace you really like and plan to go back, you might even make new traditions before you know it.
Valentine’s Day party
If you know a lot of people with weekend availability and feel like dancing, host a Valentine’s Day party! Be sure to include a healthy mix of couples and singles (unless literally everyone is a couple or everyone is single) so that nobody feels too awkward. Keep it fun and lighthearted! Even if something ridiculous happens and there is more laughing than dancing, the point is that most people will probably agree that such a gathering is a lot more fun than sitting around at home on an ordinary night.
Make Your Own Traditions
Even if you aren’t a fan of celebrating holidays, you can still make new traditions! There are other activities you can incorporate in your life to enrich the January/February season:
Dream and scheme for the year
Unlike New Year’s resolutions, this does not mean setting concrete resolutions to which you hold yourself accountable. Rather, this is allowing yourself to dream (and perhaps transcribe in a journal during morning, lunch break or bedtime) about desires and plans that you would like to implement, even if you don’t yet know how. The more you focus on them and allow them to brew in your inner space, the more likely they are to manifest by way of unplanned opportunities since you will have created the mental space to pursue them.
Learn a new culture
Choose another culture that interests you and learn about the people’s daily lifestyle, particularly during this same time of year. Taking our constant attention off of our own daily activities to examine those of other cultures is a fascinating exploration that can also help us to appreciate our own lives and blessings. We might choose to make new traditions in our own lives that align with those we learn of from another culture.
Go on a winter hike
Not only is this a great way to get some much-needed sunshine (should the sun shine in your favour) and even more-needed physical exertion, but it is especially pleasant if you can find a trail lined by fragrant evergreen trees!
Explore your genealogy
Dig into family history by exploring your genealogy and listening to stories from older family members. You never know what you may learn that nobody thought to mention before! Keep the conversations flowing and listen. I continue to learn things I never knew.
Story time
Watch your favourite movies or read your favourite stories. This is a tradition that organically fell into place for me as a comfort activity during these months. An excellent story, whether heard, watched, or read, is like balm to the soul.
Enjoy tea with friends
If you do no other fun or festive thing during this time of year, then schedule an ongoing weekly date with a friend or two to enjoy a cuppa at someone’s house or in a nearby café (if you hate tea, make it coffee or hot cocoa). You will then at least have something to look forward to each week! Also, tea time is especially magical during cold or inclement weather.
Join or start a book club
You don’t have to make a book club a big formal thing. It could simply be you and a few friends gathering to discuss a book you’re all interested in enough to read together. If you are religious, this could include a Bible study or group focused on the holy book(s) of your faith. You could opt to meet in person or virtually depending on everyone’s location and schedule, and (if in person) you could also incorporate the aforementioned tea time. There is nothing quite like delving into a good story, especially during colder weather when stuck indoors!
May these months be rich with experiences and your own new traditions, no matter how large or small!