Good morning friends. Let us begin the longest stretch of the year together. You know what I'm talking about. The Steelers are kaput, the holidays disappeared faster than my hairline and springtime flowers are far from appearing. It's time for the age-old quote: "There's nothing to do!"

Well, I'm here to tell you otherwise.

January is officially Financial Wellness Month, and when push comes to shove, is there any better time than now to get finances in order? After all, I only had to take out a home equity line of credit to pay for Christmas, and the kids' college savings account equals the amount of change discovered in the cushion of my car every time I decide to empty it out and vacuum.

How can anyone be financially aware in January? That's like making June the official Study for School Month.

The fun continues in February, and yours truly gets to benefit. The week of February 10 to 16 is National Freelance Writers Appreciation week, so send your gifts early (a new thesaurus is always nice, or a PlayStation 3).

Let's hope my editor doesn't realize the week before is Dump your Significant Jerk Week and decide to fire me so she doesn't have to purchase me a gift.

Beware the Ides of March, as well as those tiny little leprechauns in March. No need to elaborate here.

For the month of April, I need to really bear down and concentrate on my work. After all, this is officially National Humor Month, and I am supposed to be humorous. (Insert your snide comment here.)

Oh goodie! It's also Straw Hat Month. Nothing screams funny like a writer wearing a straw hat.

I am officially skipping the months of May through August for one reason: summer vacation. No one needs any other reason to be happy.

This does, however, lead to one huge celebration in September for parents: back to school month! It's wonderful to greet the day with a shiny yellow bus loaded down with sweaty little kids wearing backpacks, new clothes and a frown that rivals the one I had when the Steelers lost. Here's to 188 days of fun for us adults!

October kicks off the fall season, and the month is loaded down with great things to celebrate.

World Smile Day is Oct. 3 this year, so be sure to clean up at the dentist's office the day before. But be careful. Someone is liable to wipe that smile right off of your pretty little face on Oct. 13 (National Kick Butt Day) and Oct. 15, National Grouch Day.

Thanksgiving is a natural part of our discussion for the month of November, but there's more to be thankful for than meets the eye. (Pardon the preemptive pun.)

National Intimate Apparel Market Week runs from Nov. 3 to 7, which puts a whole new spin on turkey and "dressing." I bet the settlers would be proud.

December, of course, is the culmination of events for the year, with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve and so many parties Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have a hard time deciding where to go.

But did you know National Pawn Broker Day is Dec. 6 this year? This finally gives me a chance to meet one of my New Year's resolutions and get out of debt from last December by pawning off all those gifts that went unopened.

Enjoy this coming year and all it has to offer.

Christian Ola, a community columnist for the Butler Eagle, resides in Mars with his wife, son and daughter and can be reached at christianolac@aol.com.