Call it fate, call it coincidence, or just call it sad. As I sat this morning sipping my coffee and feeling pretty content with the busy weekend and getting an extra day off from school, I scrolled leisurely down my facebook feed and stopped short at Jen Cardone’s Village Spin post (hi Jen!): 

blue-mondayBlue Monday? What is this nonsense? It was then that my eyes fell on the stack of 50+ holiday cards, perfectly addressed with calligraphy that I penned next to the lighted tree prior to Christmas. Ready to be sent. Ready to go. And lying in wait for over a month. Our holiday cards quickly turned into Happy New Year cards, and at this point the shame is so weighty I’m not sure I can trudge up the steps at the Post Office to stamp and send them off. 

Though Jen had an incredibly motivating message to accompany this image, I sat next to Scott wondering if the sudden feeling of apathy washing over me was psychosomatic, or if I too was falling victim to Blue Monday. 

The truth is, our holiday cards were never sent and our Christmas decorations have not budged. Our baby bird is “flying south” as we speak back to her home in Texas and we are bumming pretty hard, and our back fireplace is on the fritz and so the house is suffering from minor symptoms of last year’s freezeout. Tomorrow my 11th graders are taking their ELA Regents exam, so I am awash in worry and testing anxiety for them. I guess what we have here is the perfect formula for a Blue Monday. 

But Scott and I are far from depressed this January 20th, and as I turned to him to express my horror at succumbing to this fateful day, he reminded me that it’s easy to turn the little bit of chaos into opportunities today. His plan? 

  • Snow Photo.  Because nothing makes him happier then acting like a child in fewer garments than one should wear in 0 degrees. untitled-4-1080x1335
  • Leaving a few lights up. Why does everyone take down all the lights from their holiday windows? The depression that ensues in the post-Christmas darkness can be easily remedied with the endurance of just a few simple lights. Our garland might come down, but the window lights will remain. (But Scott is currently negotiating garland on the stairs as I type…) 
  • Creative Energy. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by a team of extraordinary people at the Factory and this weekend was spent scheming, testing, and playing with our entire program from coffee to juice to food  to cocktails.  This morning we will head in and play some more, testing items for our new Juice Bar and Toast Bar to launch this February in honor of our 2 year anniversary at the Factory.juicebar-1
  • Date Night In. Scott is convinced that half our winter blues stem from a lack of date nights. So tonight he is preparing a dinner while I set a little bit of romantic ambiance at the dining room table, which we hardly ever use except at holidays. A bottle of wine, dinner and of course…
  • The Bachelor. Scott loves this show, and isn’t scared to admit it. We will wind down this evening after dinner in front of the fireplace with a blanket and a good two hours of reality smut. The perfect end to our “Blue” Monday. 

How are you beating the day? Happy Monday, all.