I am a January baby, there's only one country where I found it time of year to be born

Sharing a star sign with Jesus, if we are to believe he was born on December 25, making him a Capricorn like me, you would think that would make January 4 an auspicious time of year to pop out into this world. But four decades on this Earth have taught me even the Messiah can't rescue us January babies from the mid-winter reality of being born that little bit too close to the biggest party season of the year. 

If a hangover were a month, it would be January. It's the morning after the seemingly perpetual December night out before. The month when the results of endless parties, Christmas feasts, spending splurges and drunken excess all come home to roost in people's waistlines, livers and bank balances. 

Trying to invite people out for a birthday party in the first month of the year generates about as much enthusiasm as if you were to walk into a rehab clinic combined with a weight loss class and shout, 'partaaay'. 

Outdoor pursuits, unless you're into coldwater swimming and bracing walks, are limited in January because it's generally freezing cold and gloomy.

And most venues these days shut up shop for the start of the month until at least January 5, especially independent bars and restaurants, with many taking an understandable break after the mayhem of the festive season.

There's even the relatively new phenomenon of 'Blue Monday', said by scientists to be the most depressing day of the year, which of course is in January and in 2026 falls on Monday the 19th.  

So far, all very miserable.

But there is a ray of hope out there for January babies, although it might involve moving 10,000 miles away from the UK. 

During my career, I had the privilege to live and work Down Under, in what some regard as the sun-kissed expat paradise of Australia. 

Being in the Southern Hemisphere means that the Aussies enjoy their scorching summers when we are all freezing through a British winter, it also means January is a sunshine-filled bonza time of year when most people are up for celebrating anything, despite the December excess.  

Although it should be noted that Aussies don't need much of an excuse to celebrate, I quickly learned this from their office traditions when I worked in Sydney.

For cultural reasons never really explained to me, when it got to beyond midday on a Friday, essentially it meant it was time to crack open a cold beer and really not do any more work.

And because January is the hottest time of the year, when daytime temperatures in Sydney could easily hit 40C, life seemed to naturally slow down a little with many locals heading for the beach or their summer holidays in the Blue Mountains or beyond. 

Sunshine, cold beers and locals willing to down tools at a moment's notice in exchange for a good time, meant that Australia is probably one of the best places on the planet to be born in January.

Don't get me wrong, the Aussie 'winter' in July and June was hardly freezing, but the chilled-out summer vibes of my birthday month certainly made it far easier to celebrate.

Of course, there are around 30 other countries south of the equator to choose from, but Australia and New Zealand are probably the closest culturally to the UK. 

So there we have it, the solution to being able to enjoy a great birthday experience in January in the UK, is to move as far away as possible.