You can't move in London in December on a night out. Groups of office workers wearing tinsel, slightly drunk parade around the streets in gangs. You find people in their best dresses and suits dancing the night away wearing more sparkle than Liberace.
Come January however and everyone suddenly seems to vanish. I know that there is the new "trend" to use January as a detox or perhaps people are just staying in to save money because they bought too much for people over Christmas.
I personally find that we need to socialise more in January than any other month. I find that the dark days, nothing to look forward to and the fact that Christmas is in the past makes it kind of depressing. There are a lot of people who suffer from SAD (seasonally affected disorder) where they find that the grey skies and lack of sun makes them feel depressed. Although I would not consider myself to be clinically depressed at this time of year, I do find myself feeling down, wondering what life is for and basically just wanting to go out.
Heading into the West End even on a Friday night is a sobering affair. There are hardly any people there and the people who are out, aren't dressed up for a good night out, they're wearing grey coats and are huddled round a pint of bitter or a cup of coffee. I have never understood going out to a pub to have a coffee but I suppose if that's your thing then who am I to argue?
I headed to Covent Garden on Tuesday night and I felt like I was in some sort of post apocalyptic scene. There was no one on the cobbles and a lot of the bars had obviously taken January as an opportunity to refurbish themselves.
I think that January should have some sort of feast to look forward to at the end. Basically in terms of marketing the next big thing (unless you're Scottish and celebrate Burns Night) is Valentine's Day. I am not a big fan of Valentine's day as I feel pressured to go out and sit awkwardly at a table with my husband rammed in next to other couples. We tend to celebrate on the 15th instead because we don't really care that it's not the exact day and it's easier to get a babysitter.
I wonder if New York has the same issues. It is supposed to be the city that never sleeps but I wonder if even there on a Tuesday night in January, you are hard pushed to find a busy place to hang out after 9pm at night.
London often baffles the tourists who flock to the city centre in search of this amazing city and it's nightlife. "Where is everyone?" they say. At home basically. Watching Midsomer Murders and eating Muesli bars because the TV has told them they must lose weight because it's January.
Maybe London's next venture should be a detox club. Perhaps somewhere that sells very expensive juices but plays party music and has a large dance floor. People can get dressed up and dance the night away (burning calories) while sippping on a juice.
I had a similar idea a few years ago about an adult playground and now they have them everywhere. Obviously I am just ahead of my time - watch this space for the dance / juice bar in your area soon.
