With the holidays and all their joy and hubbub behind us, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are stuck with just winter for the foreseeable future. There are no celebrations. There are no large get-togethers. There’s barely any sun. Is my seasonal depression showing?
If you struggle to cultivate joy this time of year, I feel ya. But in recent years, I’ve gotten better about establishing some rituals that make the time feel special. Adriene Mishler, of Yoga with Adriene, does a 30-day yoga series every January that is a bright spot. And I’ve recently discovered that I enjoy doing puzzles—something I do not have the patience for if being outside is an option.
Below, we offer up suggestions of what to watch, read, and listen to
this month, as well as some more of the things that bring us joy on dark,
dreary days.
Our favorite pick-me-ups for dreary days
Tim Burton has a direct line to the weird, spooky part of my brain. I have been seriously enjoying the new Netflix series Wednesday based on the infamous character Wednesday Addams. Who better than Tim Burton to portray this tale of the dark, mysterious member of the Addams family? The actress who plays her doesn’t even blink the entire series. Wednesday is the perfect series to transition from the holiday spirit into a cool, wintery state
of mind.
Annie Hanigan
marketing coordinator
Go to Annie’s pick
Dan Levy’s The Big Brunch is the most delightful, heartwarming show I’ve watched in a long time. It brings all the good feels of brunch—cocktails, coffee, comfort food, camaraderie—and pairs it with healthy competition among truly good and talented people aiming to cook up the best brunch. You can’t help but to root for each and every one of the chefs. And the judges. The judges. If I didn’t love Dan Levy so much, I might say his co-judges Sohla El-Waylly and Will Guidara steal the show. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll have to get up and make a snack. I fully plan on rewatching the whole thing.
Go to Annie’s pick
Annie Mullowney
senior editor
Claire Holland
editor
For the past few years, I’ve used Rolling Stone’s “Best Albums of the Year” list as my springboard for discovering new artists, music, and genres. From bangers in foreign languages to highly acclaimed Top 40 hits, I always find new favorites and things I would never have heard otherwise. The full experience—almost 75 hours—is not for the faint of heart. But it can be a fun background goal to plug away at while you work—and I won’t judge you for skipping around.
Go to Claire’s pick
“The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hungry for us.” I dare you to get these sentences out of your head after you read Kevin Wilson’s newest fabulous novel, Now Is Not the Time to Panic. In the summer of 1996, two bored yet creative teenagers decide to hang out and make art together. What results from their masterpiece is indeed (despite the title) a panic, and it has major implications for both of them. My only complaint about this book is that I wanted to read more about the characters and the rest of their lives.
Go to Jen’s pick
Jen Bulat
production director
Mary Reddy
senior advisor
If you like to make New Year’s resolutions, perhaps you’ll benefit from turning an avoidance goal into an approach goal. Per Carlbring, in the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University, suggests that “instead of stopping things, you should start doing things.” Or do you prefer to ponder whether it’s even worth trying?
Go to Mary’s pick
KC:
Wearing my
Giesswein slippers and eating mint chocolate chip
ice cream
Brittany:
Watching Easy-Bake Battle
Becky:
Making chili
Morgan:
Listening to
“Shower the People” by
James Taylor