6 reasons 'Blue Monday' is actually a pretty great day

Admit it — you hit your snooze button this morning because it's "Blue Monday" and that somehow gives you permission to wallow about winter and hide from the harshness of reality. But what if I told you the day we've spent a decade believing is the "most depressing day of the year" is actually just a clever marketing ploy designed to justify feeling like crap? Well, this is me telling you that it is.

Back in 2005, the now defunct British travel agency Sky Travel got a psychologist to craft a pseudo-scientific formula that combined crummy weather, high levels of post-holiday debt and the fact that you've probably already slipped on your new years' resolutions. The result? The lowest day of the year, otherwise known as the-day-you're-most-likely-to-buy-a-holiday-package-to-someplace-hot.

Please. There are plenty reasons the third Monday of January — particularly today, January 18, 2016 — is actually pretty great.

1. It's the 30th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. day.

And it's the first once since South Carolina stopped flying the Confederate Flag on Statehouse grounds.

Every MLK Day for 16 years, activists marched on their state capitol and demanded the Confederate flag — a painful symbol of racism in the southern state — be taken down. After the Charleston shootings in July 2015 sparked intense debate about racism in the state, the flag was finally removed from the state legislature. MLK Day in South Carolina became a celebration.

2. Canada is now, suddenly, SO HIP IT HURTS.

This, according to the New York Times' Sunday Styles section — a piece of newspaper real estate known for its on-point trend forecasting, so get ready for a raft of trend-chasing American tourists just dying to cash in on the cool and help boost our dollar (please?). The story trades on the cool cred of The Weeknd, Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams, and the funny-n-wise Samantha Bee, not to mention comeback kid Justin Bieber. Because we're such gracious Canadians, we'll go ahead and let the Americans think THEY discovered the genius director Sarah Polley.

3. Citrus is extra delicious right now.

Yeah, yeah, cauliflower is expensive right now. But the citrus! The citrus is good (this according to our esteemed Food Director Claire Tansey — I believe her). Not only will the bright-tasting fruit explode your taste buds and amp up your vitamin C, it won't break your bank. Grab a 2 lb bag of lemons from No Frills tonight for $3 and check out Chatelaine's guide to winter citrus here.

4. National Quit Smoking Week kicks off today.

If ever you need a day of motivation to nix that nic habit, today's the day. For the past 30 years, starting on the third Monday in January, the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control has helped Canadians quit smoking. This year's theme? "Quitting takes practice...practice often!" The average smoker tries to quit seven times before they're successful, according to the CCTC. So why not give it a go this week along with thousands of others? If it doesn't pan out, just chalk it up to practice.

5. It's Kevin Costner's Birthday.

Let's just take a moment to remember him in The Bodyguard, shall we?

And if you're not a Costner fan, it's also the day Jason Segel was born.

6. No one cares that you fell off your new years' resolution to stop eating sugar and white flour.

Have yourself some cake. Because hey — you're doing so much better than you think.

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