January Birthdays - Everything You Need to Know

Welcome to January!  🥳

 

New year’s resolutions abound in January. The blank slate of a new year means gyms will be crowded, diets will be started, and pennies will be pinched. While improving your physical and fiscal health are great goals, they can also feel like a lot of work.

 

Cultivate MORE JOY in your life this year by intentionally celebrating the birthdays of family and friends. Too often we get caught up in the details (I have to call the bakery and order a cake!) and forget the reason why we’re celebrating—we’re grateful for the birthday person; glad that they’re in our life and want to do something to make them happy.

Know someone born in the first month of the year? Be sure to remember their special day! January birthdays have a way of sneaking up on you, especially since the start of the year is exactly one week after the hubbub of Christmas.

Keep reading for information to help you celebrate their January birthday or just click on the link below to jump to that section:

• Birthstones of January
• Birth Flower of January
• Zodiac Signs for January
• Party Ideas for January
• Perfect January Birthday Décor
• Gift Ideas Inspired by January
• Famous January Birthdays
• Famous January Quotes

 

January Birthstone: Garnet

The birthstone of January is the garnet.  Garnets are best known their deep red color and resemble the seeds of a pomegranate. In fact, the word “garnet” is derived from the Latin “granatum”, which means seed.

As far back as the Bronze Age, garnets were said to provide protection and healing. Seen to be a fire element, garnet’s fiery energy can be passed on to the wearer. The gift of a garnet may represent love, passion, and faith.

Garnets may also appear in other colors such as green, blue, orange and brown, though those are less rare.

 

January’s Birth Flowers: Carnation, Snowdrop

The birth flowers of January are carnations and snowdrops.

Carnations are the workhorse of the floral world. They are abundant in gardens and known for being easy to grow. Originally found in only pink, carnations now come in a wide variety of colors. They are frequently included in floral arrangements because they are pretty, long-lasting, and relatively inexpensive.

Carnations are said to represent admiration, though individual colors may have specific meaning. Pink carnations represent appreciation, white carnations represent purity; light red carnations symbolize friendship and dark red carnations are said to be given to lovers.

Snowdrops are one of the first flowers of spring. These delicate plants are typically under 6” tall and have delicate white blooms that hang down like drops from a green stalk. The gift of snowdrops is said to symbolize hope and the ability to overcome obstacles.

 

January’s Zodiac Signs: Capricorn and Aquarius

The two zodiac signs of January are Capricorns and Aquarius. People with birthdays of December 22nd to January 19th are said to be under the sign of Capricorn, while those born from January 20th to February 18^th are Aquarius’.

 
Capricorn is an earth sign element that has the colors of brown and grey. It is represented by the sea goat, a creature with the tail of a fish and the body of a goat. This duality allows Capricorns to navigate both sea (emotional world) and land (physical world) with ease.

Capricorns make great friends that you can count on. Other personality traits include:

• Responsible
• Hardworking
• Ambitious
• Reliable
• Loyal
• Stubborn
  
  

 

Aquarius is an air element whose symbol is the water-bearer. It is represented by a mythical carrying an urn of water, or sometimes, just water flowing.

Those born under Aquarius are said to be forward thinking individuals who want to affect positive change for the collective good. Other personality traits include:

• Independent
• Visionary
• Diplomatic
• Popular
• Stubborn
• Rebellious

   

10 Fun January Birthday Party Ideas for Adults

January is a great month for a birthday party!

(Still trying to put your Christmas decorations away?  Searching for that receipt so you can exchange that sweater for a different size?  Me too!  But January birthdays wait for no one!  🥳 )

Here are some birthday party ideas to help you celebrate January birthdays:

• Get tickets to a sports event and cheer on your favorite team
• Host a soup and spirits party
• Schedule a sledding, snowmobiling or ski trip---even for the afternoon!
• Host a Mexican Fiesta (click here to read our post dedicated to this topic).
• Go to a comedy show and celebrate with some laughs
• Host a pajamas and brunch party
• Host an evening at the planetarium
• Take your besties for some hydrating facials
• Board games and burgundies/beers/bourbons

 

The Perfect Party Decoration for January Birthdays

Celebrate a January birthday with this birthday party kit. In under 5 minutes, you can transform your table or kitchen island with party décor they’ll love.

They'll notice the birthday centerpiece the moment they walk in the room!  Made of high-quality stainless steel and chrome, lush ribbons and thick card stock, it stands nearly 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Handcrafted in the USA, it was designed to be reusable. 

 

 

Shop Birthday Party Kits!

 

Birthday Gift Ideas Inspired by January

Here are ten gift ideas for the January birthdays in your life:

  

Famous January Birthdays

Given that those born in January are said to be independent thinkers, it’s no wonder there are so many famous figures born this month!

Living January Birthdays

• January 5 – Bradley Cooper, actor
• January 5 – Diane Keaton, actress
• January 7 – Katie Couric, journalist
• January 7 – Nicolas Cage, actor
• January 9 – Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
• January 9 – Dave Matthews, musician
• January 12 – Jeff Bezos, businessman
• January 13 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress
• January 13 – Patrick Dempsey, actor
• January 14 – LL Cool J, singer
• January 16 - Kate Moss, model
• January 17 – Jim Carrey, actor
• January 19 – Dolly Parton, musician
• January 19 – Paula Deen, chef
• January 22 – Piper Laurie, actress
• January 24 – Neil Diamond, singer
• January 25 - Alicia Keys, musician
• January 26 – Eddie Van Halen, musician
• January 29 – Oprah Winfrey, journalist  
• January 30 - Phil Collins, musician
• January 31 – Justin Timberlake, singer

  

Deceased January Birthdays

• January 1, 1752 – Betsy Ross, designer of the U.S. flag
• January 6, 1412 - Joan of Arc
• January 7, 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston
• January 8, 1935 – Elvis Presley
• January 8, 1889 – Edward Elijah Perkins, creator of Kool-Aid
• January 9, 1908 - Simone de Beauvoir
• January 11, 1755 – Alexander Hamilton
• January 14, 1919 – Andy Rooney
• January 15, 1929 – Martin Luther King Jr.
• January 17, 1942 – Muhammad Ali, boxer
• January 17, 1922 – Betty White
• January 18, 1904 – Cary Grant
• January 19, 1943– Janis Joplin  
• January 30, 1882 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32^nd U.S. President

 

Famous Quotes about January

Include one of these quotes in a January birthday card or just enjoy them now! 

Another idea is to combine one of the famous birthdays above with one of the quotes below:


For instance you could gift your husband/boyfriend/significant other a book of romantic poetry by January-born poet Jean Paul and inscribe the first quote on the inside cover. Ah, romance!  🥰

 

"I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second."
Helen Fielding

 

“Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.”
Oprah Winfrey

  

“Every man should be born again on the first of January. Start with a fresh page."
Henry Ward Beecher

 

"To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June."
Jean Paul

 

“January is the month for dreaming.”
Jean Hersey
 

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Carl Sagan