The Christmas decorations are all put away, stacked in cardboard boxes — properly labeled — and returned to their year-round home in the shed. Everything is vacuumed, decluttered and void of the red-and-green staples I was used to seeing for the six weeks they were up!

Yes, friends, it’s January — that most depressing of months when Christmas is behind us and we have, um, nothing to look forward to between now and the onset of spring. Besides, you know, Valentine’s Day. And I’m not exactly one of those “Valentine’s Day is-a-made-up-terrible-greeting-card holiday!” types, but I do find something inherently depressing about the holiday — even when I am in a relationship.

But! I’m not going to let myself sink into the blues this year. Yes, my life is now entirely devoid of tinsel and sparkly things, but January doesn’t have to suck all the happiness from the world. Though I didn’t make any resolutions this year, I’ve already focused on tidying up my spaces — at home and at work — and making small changes in my daily routine. And after seeing M. and greeting a fresh new decade, I decided it was time.

For a haircut.

I have a lengthy history of brutal fighting with my thick, wavy hair — and sadly, I’m usually on the losing end of the battle. To put it mildly, it just does not cooperate. Much as I may want them, I’ll never have sleek, shiny locks — and most of the time, I’ve made peace with that. But sometimes? It’s just not okay. And when I quiz my hairdresser, Diane, about what in the world I can do to tame the beast, so to speak, she always gives me the same run-down: blown dry it straight. Apply some of this particular goop she always shows me, I purchase, and then never use. Because getting your hair to look the way your hairdresser does is not possible. It’s science.

Case in point? These photos I took with my new camera (wee!) after getting my hair chopped off this week. Will I ever look like this again? No, friends — no, I won’t.

Until I go see Diane again, that is. Maybe I should pay her to come have breakfast at my house and mess with my tresses every morning? Or, if that’s not exactly convenient, every other day — or the days in which I actually try to look impressive at work? . . . I’ll consider my options here. It’s 2010 — and I need a new hair plan.