January can be a depressing month. Christmas has come and gone, leaving only its financial and emotional consequences to manage, New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside, motivational levels are low, and we are desperate for something to look forward to. Show marketeers a psychological weakness and they are quick to seize on an opportunity. Psychologist Cliff Arnall coined the phrase “Blue Monday” in 2004 to describe the third Monday of January, today, when we are supposed to be at our lowest ebb for a travel firm to use in their advertising campaign to promote their Holiday deals.

The phrase has stuck, even though on Arnall’s own admission the concept was little more than pseudoscience. However, recent research from Aviva suggests that the desire for something to look forward to begins even earlier, with 14% of Britons planning to search for and 12% intending to book a holiday during the festive season, in readiness for “Sun Saturday”, the first Saturday after New Year, when travel agents see the most activity and offers are supposed to be at their keenest. Not for nothing are commercial television and the press inundated with advertisements for dream holidays even before the first turkey’s wishbone has been snapped.