Sunshine in January
Transitioning the decs, the best hot chocolate, the prettiest theatre and my word of the year
The sun shone like the blazes all weekend – blue skies, too! – and now there is snow on the ground and it is all making me very happy. Sorry for those of you in gloom or trapped behind a wall of snow (or, my god, my poor friend flying back from Canada with her family – five flights and an extra three nights to get home to Scotland) but we take our wins where they happen. If it’s any consolation, the rays radiating through the windows also revealed that they need cleaning. Tell you why I love sunshine in winter: because it doesn’t impel you to go outside. It’s sunny but cold, so I get both vitamin D on the brisk dog walk and the cosiness of the blazing log fire.
As a result, taking down the Christmas decs didn’t feel quite so low-making, but I have, as usual, done my ‘transition takedown’. This means anything that is Christmassy (Santas, reindeers, red/gold things) gets packed away but whatever is silver/white, or from the garden, stays. The tree is still up but only with white lights and a few hanging decorations that are silvery. Fairy lights remain around much of the house but only if white. The holly is still green and the berries are still red, so they are staying stuck behind pictures or in a glass vase with micro-lights. Candles are being lit as soon as I’m in a room, and I’ve bought Uniqlo’s Heat Tech leggings so that I am never in danger of feeling the cold. It’s not hygge, mate, it’s just nice.
I don’t do dry January, because I see no need to add to the gloom. But I pretty much caroused the full December, so even I don’t feel like drinking much. In the evenings, I’ve had a Mother Root instead, which I like a lot (the tang of apple cider vinegar makes it feel quite healthy). It’s quite pricey but one bottle lasts a while – you mix it with sparkling water and a squeeze of lime. My teenage son has swapped Green Colas (no aspartame, stevia only, but still…) for Remedy Kombucha, which give a fizzy hit but are positively good for you. (You can get them at Tesco but they are cheaper here: Buy Whole Foods.)
If you are more of a hot chocolate person, then I recommend the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. It feels insane to buy a milk frother just for hot chocolate, but I promise you it delivers something entirely different in texture to anything you can make in a saucepan or microwave, or even coffee machine milk frother. Velvety, as the name promises. It doesn’t even compare to those revolting instant hot choc powders. Hotel Chocolat insist you need to buy their sachets for it but you don’t – we use normal hot choc powder and it’s perfect. As I write this I see that they are £150 at the moment, which does seem a bit much – but there’s quite a few on ebay for a third of the price…
All the way back in September, when it was really warm, I bought tickets for the family to go and see Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Globe theatre in London on the first Saturday in January. It was only when checking the details a few days before that I thought about how cold it would be. I was just beginning to regret the decision (this is why I’m so anti-planning, because I always get the details wrong), when I saw that I’d actually bought tickets to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse theatre inside the Globe. I hadn’t even known this existed! But off we went, reassured by the knowledge that we wouldn’t have to bundle up in ski gear, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It’s teeny and so pretty – the sensation is as if one is sitting in a paper cut-out theatre – and candlelit, with chandeliers that are raised and lowered above the stage instead of spotlights. The actors can see the audience, the audience can see and hear every word, and the play was electric. Truly wonderful performances from Tira Lade (Hermia), Tara Tijani (Helena) and Danny Kirrane (Bottom), though they were all good, frankly. There are a few tickets left at the Playhouse, running until end of the month, but then it’s touring until the end of March. Strong recommend! And keep an eye on Playhouse productions generally for a really special evening out – seats in the Pit are around £50 each (I think they are randomly allocated but if you get Row D, you can lean back, otherwise they are benches. The stalls are probably rather more comfortable).
Instead of a resolution (people are getting quite shouty about these, whether or not they’re making them, aren’t they?), I’ve decided to make 2026 the year of courage. The idea is that whenever I wonder which way to go when making a decision, then I choose the one that is more courageous, or requires me to be brave. I’m not, generally speaking, an easily frightened person (heights and creepy alleyways at 3am notwithstanding) but I’d like to be bolder about some of my professional decisions. Also, by hook or crook, there is going to be more dancing this year. Dance Fit? Shuffle Mamas? Finding a nightclub that lets me in? I’m there…
What’s your guiding principle for 2026? Please tell me! I love to know this sort of thing.
Jess xx
Big fan of both the Uniqlo leggings and a phased return to taking down the decorations. We leave the lights on the tree for most of January and have lots of clear glass baubles with a bit of a sheen on them that we leave on as well, while everything else gets packed away. Much more cheering when I get home in the evening, and by Feb there’s a glimmer of light in the sky so I don’t mind coming home in the dark so much. Lovely sunny read as always x
My word for 2026 is abundance - I have done a lot of years of seeking balance etc and this year I feel like I want more of everything, so more saying yes to things for me!