Rev’s Reflection January 2025

After Christmas, January advances quickly and following the sparkle and cheer of Christmas, the first month of the year can feel a little long, dark and gloomy. Some seek fresh new beginnings whilst others grip tightly to every pine needle and glass bauble far beyond 12th night.

The great post-Christmas regret looms large, the mince pies have exacted their revenge, waist bands make alarming noises when you sit down, and the scales laugh knowingly from the corner of the bathroom. January is the month of resolutions to better ourselves, with grand promises sometimes unravelling faster than a poorly knitted scarf. By week two the gym membership is being questioned, Lycra has lost its shine and a kale smoothie doesn’t quite hit the spot. Decluttering and living a more minimalist life might have been pondered (briefly), holidays are advertised on the tv and magazine subscriptions come to fruition with the first edition of 2025 squeezed through a too small letterbox, wedged firm and with its wrapping shredded. Journalists like to remind us that the third Monday in January is now sadly known as ‘Blue Monday’, largely due to the weather and for many an extended post-Christmas wait until payday.

Yet, beneath its dreary exterior, January has its hidden charms. It’s a time for quiet moments, woolly jumpers, and mugs of tea. It’s the perfect excuse to binge-watch TV or start a good novel under a blanket and call it ‘hibernation’. And while the gardens may look like a soggy mess now, somewhere underground, life is stirring, getting ready to surprise us with snowdrops and daffodils.

However we might be feeling about the dawn of a new year, time stands still for no one, so here’s to January, let’s take one soggy dog walk, one leftover mince pie, and one overly ambitious resolution at a time. Spring will be here before we know it, and with it, the hope of sunshine, birdsong, and the annual battle with the lawnmower through a persistently boggy lawn. Hope springs eternal.

Peace and goodwill to all.

Julie.                                                                                       ‘…and on earth peace, and good will…’  Luke 2: 14