It’s always super hard going back to the normal and boring life after all the festivities, isn’t it? There will be no decorations and lights, that warm up your soul, no Christmas songs and movies, no festive spirit. That’s why many people suffer with a thing called post-holiday blues in January, no wonder why it is considered probably the most depressing month of the year.

Throughout the years I’ve gathered some activities, which I now call my January traditions, that never fail to help me overcome those negative feelings. On the contrary, I always look forward to the period after the holidays, in order to “fulfill” these activities. I decided to share some of those, along with some helpful tips on how to fight post-holiday depression and feel jolly even after the bright and colorful December.

1. Don’t hurry with putting away the decorations. When you hide all the festive decor right away in one day, the sudden emptiness in your house naturally brings sadness. So, I like to keep the decors as long as possible, and even when I start the “cleaning the Christmas” process, I like to do it gradually, step by step, so the transition is not too drastic. I leave the twinkle lights for last, as they never fail to bring joyfulness.

2. Decorate your place. Once Christmas is safely gone, make sure to add some other decor pieces to your interior. It is still winter after all, so you can save some snowflakes, evergreen figurines or anything else you want, so you’ll still feel cozy. You can choose a theme (boho, cottagecore, hygge or anything else, doesn’t really matter) and try something new and fun in your place. I also love doing some small renovations, like putting up a new shelf, adding new wallpaper, so it’s always super exciting.

3. Decluttering and organizing. Honestly, have I ever written an activities post that doesn’t include cleaning? For all people, January is all about a fresh start, so right after I put the Christmas stuff away, I start the biggest tidying up of the year. I throw away lots of unnecessary stuff, clean all the corners and it feels so good afterwards, believe me. Like you just lost a heavy weight from your soul. Plus, the process will keep you entertained.

4. Get involved in a series. Doesn’t matter if it will be book or movie series or a tv show. Entertainment is the perfect tool to fill up the emptiness in your life. And whenever you have those dull periods with not much going on, books and films always come to the rescue. And series are great, because you don’t get too involved in a standalone film or book, you just watch/read them and move forward, while with series you stay live inside these fictional worlds for a while. So, pick something of your choice and you won’t even notice how January passes by.

5. More gatherings. Christmas is considered the best season for catching-ups, but January is more important, because once you’re surrounded by your closest people, talking, laughing, playing games, you just can’t feel blue. Make sure to organize many cozy gatherings both inside and outside of home.

6. Reminiscing. In January, I always collect all the photos from the past year and transfer them to my computer. Moreover, I choose the best pictures, print them and put them in an album. In the process I also love rewatching older photos, and the good memories always give the warmest feelings. You can even gather up your friends or family and rewatch the old photos (or even videos). Great mood is guaranteed after this!

7. Dedicate lots of time to your hobbies. It’s literally the best remedy. When you’re busy doing something that you love, your brain can’t bother you with the bad thoughts. Especially if it’s something related to arts (like painting, journaling, diy-ing), or sports (doing exercies, going for a hike or a swim in the pool, joining a yoga club, whatever). Instead of scrolling your phone and feeling down, dedicate your free time to your hobbies and you’ll have the best quality time with yourself.

These are some of the things that I love doing in January. I should also mention some other traditions I have, like reading the horoscope of the next year, doing some tarot an fortune telling (since it’s Yuletide since the middle of the month), write down all the cool celestial events of the year. The most important thing is not to let the negative thoughts and emotions take control and just do everything that brings you joy.