By Alison McGill
It’s safe to come out now, January is *finally* over.
January is a whole mood, and it always hits hard, a fact that’s mostly forgotten in the frenetic run up to the holidays. After months looking at life through tinsel-trimmed glasses, January arrives with exactly one day of fanfare at the first of the month, followed by 30 days of gloomy darkness (this year in Toronto we saw a mere 30 hours of sunlight for the entire month…hello, SAD!), and countless memes wondering how this never-ending month seems at least 85 weeks long.
For me, January has always felt like one big melting emoji. I vividly recall a time in my single digits when my mom told me January was a month to be quiet and enjoy coziness. I have spent a lifetime trying to get behind embracing the inertness of this month…but I can’t. Seeing January in the rear-view is always a huge relief for me.
I know what you’re thinking: how is February better? If you live in a cold climate, it’s still frosty, and flowers and foliage are still months away, but here’s what I think is different about February: it feels hopeful.
Often hailed as the unmonth because of its short-and-not-so-sweet weather wise, I think of February as the soft launch for spring. Life begins to feel renewed and fresh again. The days are noticeably longer, and the added lightness in the morning and evening makes a ton of difference to the mood. With Spring just mere weeks away, February feels less claustrophobic. It’s a month to get unstuck and manifest those better days ahead. In the words of English poet Patience Strong: “In February there is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.”
With this being a leap year, February offers a bonus day of life which is also novel and should be celebrated with something fun. IMO, here are eight things that make February 2024 highly doable.
Valentine’s Day
Don’t hate on this one. It’s a day for celebrating in love in all its forms (partner love, friend love, parent love, pet love, self love) and that’s never a bad thing. Do something nice for someone you love, and, most importantly, for yourself.
Lunar New Year (LNY)
We’re entering the Year of The Dragon which is a formidable symbol in the Chinese zodiac. The Dragon symbolizes power, nobility, honour, luck and success; with that in mind, 2024 is forecasted to bring about opportunities, changes and challenges. LNY, starts on the 10 and continues for 15 days and it’s a wonderful way to bring more light, energy and celebration into your life in February.
The Super Bowl
ICYDK it’s on February 11 and for the first time ever, will happen in Las Vegas. Taylor Swift has made football everyone’s game, and reports have her jetting in from a gig in Japan mere hours before the coin toss just in time to see Travis Kelce and company kick off. You’ll want to catch this pop culture moment, and the game is a great excuse to gather some friends over for a new year catch up over comfort eats.
Movies
The Oscars are on March 10, which makes February the perfect month to binge watch all the nominees so you can ace that office Oscar pool.
Fashion Weeks
Style spotting for the season ahead kicks off in February with New York Fashion Week, followed by London, Milan and Paris which will take us into the beginning of March. We love the buzz of a new fashion era filling our social feeds.
A Fashionable Series to Stream
We’ve been counting down to the premiere of The New Look on Apple TV+ which arrives on February 14. The 10-episode series charts the rise of designer Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) in the 1940s and how his ascent challenged the fashion order of the time and its leading designer, Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche).
Pre-Spring Selfcare Regimes
Don’t wait until Spring officially arrives on March 19 to get your feel-good schedule happening. Book the vacation and/or staycation; get a haircut and colour refresh; plan a spa day; think about summer plans. Put the good stuff into motion!
The Return of Daylight
By the end of February, the sun will once again rise before 7:00am and set after 6:00pm. That means a luxurious 11-hours of daylight which we haven’t seen the likes of since October. Happy dance!
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