DOES anyone know what day it is? Me neither, and isn’t it divine? All I know is that I don’t have to be anywhere, that I don’t need to buy anything and that I’m not hosting anyone.

The Elf on the Shelf has gone home for another year (I made her a packed lunch and sent her on her way), so have the visitors and there’s a spot reserved on the couch with my name on.

Can you tell how much I revel in this in-between time, when the frantic pace of Christmas gives way to a sort of general confusion where no one knows what’s going on, when dinners comprise of left overs and chocolate, the dress code is your festive onesie and leaving the house is optional?

Lean into it I say, and don’t try to fight it. Whatever about Garth Brookes singing about if tomorrow never comes, right now we’re in that gorgeous place where we think normal life will never resume. That includes making school lunches, getting up before 9am, getting dressed before noon or tackling all the awkward ‘grown up’ stuff you long fingered in December (which kind of included doing any proper work at all). 

Enjoy this twilight zone because pretty soon we’re going to be bombarded from every angle with all that ‘New Year, New You’ malarkey… tosh that’s guaranteed to make you narky. It’s so flipping predictable and tedious. I’m not a great one for resolutions (in case you hadn’t guessed). The longest day has been and gone, but I think this is still a time of year that lends itself to slowing down and being gentle on yourself rather than taking on anything too punishing or restrictive. Just saying like! Besides the pantry is still heaving with treats so no point doing anything too rash. While I’m so far from being qualified to be offering advice to anyone, here are some off-the-cuff ideas that might help to ease us into 2026.

I’m turning half a century shortly and without sounding morbid it feels like I’ve been to a lot of funerals this year so let’s start with doing more of what makes you happy. Park the guilt, flip the begrudgers, if it’s not harming anyone and it’s legal, knock yourself out. And if you don’t know what makes you happy (we all know what makes us unhappy mind), try out some new things: pottery, joining a choir, giving up sugar or alcohol…mix things up a bit. Go a bit mad. Shake off the complacency. See where it takes you. It could be anything from a new job to a new postcode. Don’t do anything rash about a new relationship though; you might be sick of each other after the holidays but see how you feel mid-January!

Speaking of holidays, enjoy them but try not to live just for them. It seems a shame to muddle through 11 months of the year, and pin all our hopes on two weeks away in July. That’s a lot of pressure on a fortnight. It probably won’t be as good as you thought it would be. Take some pleasure from a random Tuesday, cook something nice on a regular Wednesday, open a nice bottle of red on a Thursday, switch of the TV and go to bed early.  Grab little glimmers where you can and shrug off the routine. This takes real presence of mind, and deliberate effort  but I think the results would be worth it. 

Find joy by switching up your routine and cook something nice on a regular Wednesday.

Play the lotto from time to time. As the ad says, it could be you! Now, it probably won’t be but sure who knows! Be a good egg and support your local GAA lotto too. 

Invest in a good mattress, good pillows and a luxurious duvet (and treat the rest of your family if you win the lotto!). Invest in a good couch and a good shower too. Life’s too short not to. Speaking of which, remember you’re no exception to the rule, you’re not here for a long time, and that is a fact. Remember that when you’re losing your mind over something trivial (trivial doesn’t include people dumping bags and shoes at the door or leaving wet towels on beds though. That stuff is incredibly annoying and you can lose your rag over them). 

Take photos, take loads of them, and print them out. That’s the crucial bit. Make albums like we had in the 80s. Someone in the future will thank you for your efforts, maybe even yourself when you realise how lovely you looked and you didn’t even realise it. 

I’m being a total headmelt I know but spend as much time as you can offline. I’m far from perfect but I’m determined that this will be the year where I delete all the time-wasting apps and reduce those dopamine hits and rebuild my concentration from where it’s at: that of an over-tired toddler. 

Compliment people when you can, don’t gossip (too much), keep to your six-month dental checks, have a lie down if you need to, ask for help, say no, say it again until it becomes a habit, realise that no man is an island, but no woman can do it all,  choose your battles and don’t be angry over everything. Hopefully none of you will remember I pretty much said the same thing this time last year, when I also said that in the blink of an eye it will be 2026. Newsflash: it’s here and 2027 is on the way! It’s a sobering thought and I haven’t even mentioned Dry January…yet. 

Anyway, that’s enough for now, like I said, easy does it.  I wonder would I be killed if I said I was craving routine as much as the chocolate at this stage? Thought so. Right so, Happy New Year you filthy animals!