Here’s a few standard categories or themes to consider.
Add yours to the list:

New Year’s Resolutions
Martin Luther King’s birthday
Black History Month or African American History month depending on where in the world you live
Snow and ice storms
Power outages, fireplaces used a lot, home fires / bad heater fires burn homes
Chimney sweeps in demand to clean flus and dryer vents (to prevent fires)
School/student/teacher holiday with long cold weekend and bored kids at home
Online tax filing begins for 2011 returns
Trade shows, gift shows, association meetings,
Church retreats, youth group lock-ins
Charities and nonprofit solicitations and drives kick off
New TV episodes return and New TV shows premiere
Replaced electronics, tvs, computers stored, given away, disposed of, closeted
Clothes drives begin and clothes donated in bulk
Lots of diets and exercise programs attempted or considered, Zumba rules
Latin dance, salsa, folk dancing, couples, solo, classes and groups,
Bedding and mattress sales everywhere
Quilts wanted and made, quilting classes start
Eating hot soups
Winter boots fashionable
New calendars for 2012 for home, business advertising calendars given away
Weathermen and meteorologists  practically living in your home on TV
Domestic violence victims escape or on the move after bad holidays
Lots of breakups, separations, divorces filed
Marriage counseling visits, retreats, Retrouvaille, Marriage Encounters
Lots of of Fall babies made
Senior trips, Spring Break trips, Senior Proms, Graduations start being planned
College applications deadlines, SATs, college campus trips on family minds
Older, nontraditional students make resolutions to return to or 1st go to college
Kids with no winter coats, gloves, hats
Homes without heat
Winter sports on tv, sporting trips, ski trips
Barrage of new affiliate marketing product launches
The groundhog is coming soon, Feb 2nd ? Will winter be short/long?
Presidential primaries, voter registration reminders
New laws passed last year go into effect January 1, 2012
Parked cars blown by wind slide down streets, play bumper cars without drivers
Hunt for boyfriend, girlfriend, love before Valentine’s Day
What’s old and gone, rewrap 2011, who died,
What’s new, beginnings, first baby born,
planning ahead, goal-making, resolutions
Business, counseling centers, nonprofits named New Beginnings, what they do

That’s my brainstorm for now. Please add your January thoughts, ideas, topics.
Robin

@atlantarobin  Yowza!  That’s quite a list.  I’m in the fitness biz…I’ve decided to hold off until February to address weight, nutrition, exercise, etc.  People are bombarded with this topic all through.  I’ll hit ‘em when they’ve given up trying (again) on their own and are looking for some help.

@kristi-hines Good advice on the professional disclaimer point, Kristi.

@bethnovick Good idea holding off, Beth. Or maybe not, depending on whether you have a facility or not. One late December/early January period, I worked on a direct mail campaign for the corporate office of some of the largest chains in the nation. January is when they pump out millions upon millions of direct mail postcards offering discount and free memberships to get people started on their New Year’s Resolution fitness goals. But blogging in late January, when people’s resolutions are starting to fizzle out, is a great time to catch them right before they’re about to completely fail, so they still have a wee bit of motivation left to hear the good news that YOU really can help them keep their promise to themselves.

@saraharrow Thanks for the link, Sarah. I always love seeing how others put their own special mark on simple laundry lists. One industry’s list can usually be adapted for another, giving freelance writers and bloggers 100 new story possibilities from the very same list, as long as original writing makes each unique and able to pass the duplicate copy checker.