A month on and many of us are counting our pennies after the long festive season, and none more so than the nation's pub sector.
The final toast has long since been declared, the last draught drained and Auld Lang Syne is a distant bleery echo.
Yet giants of the industry are still scratching their corporate heads to try to figure out the exact financial hang-over from Christmas.
As January marches into February, the sector could be set to stride briskly into the bright spring sunshine with a clear head and a jaunty smile.
Alternatively it may be forced to dive back under the duvet with a couple of aspirin and some fizzy stomach settler and pray for an end to the dark winter nights.
Last week the Midlands started to give the industry some upbeat clues.
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries - owner of the Pitcher & Piano, Bostin' Locals and Service - reporting an uplift in like-for-like sales at both its managed pubs and tenanted inns.
Those early optimistic noises were echoed by Enterprise Inns flagging that earnings were in line with hopes.
And there will be more pointers this week from the region. The raft of updates continues with Burton-based Punch Taverns likely to say on Wednesday that extended opening hours have driven an acceleration in trading since it reported 1.6 per cent growth in like-for-like sales during the second half of its financial year.
Analysts will focus on the integration of the Spirit estate t hat Punch bought for £2.7 billion at the start of December along with the ongoing uncertainty of the smoking ban in England.
In addition, Greene King is expected by Barclays Stockbrokers analyst Andy Penman to have seen sales slow in October and November before new licensing laws boosted trade over Christmas and New Year.
Ahead of the Greene King trading statement today Mr Penman said: "The main focus, though, is the recent acquisition of Belhaven in view of the impending smoking ban, which is due to hit Scotland at the end of March."
Meanwhile, Star City owner Stanley Leisure is expected to reveal a fall in half-year profits on Wednesday following a dip in attend-ance levels and revenues at its London casinos over the summer.
While its portfolio of 37 regional sites performed in line with expectations, Stanley has already disappointed investors with news that returns at its three "high-roller" casinos in Mayfair and one at South Kensington have been under pressure.
Douglas Jack, an analyst at broker Panmure Gordon, forecast pre-tax profits of £19 million for the six months to October 30, down from £25.1 million at the same stage of the previous year.
And on Thursday, Midlands-based UK software company Misys PLC is expected to report flat half-year results but confirm a recovery in trading after a rocky start to its financial year.
The company, which makes software for the bank-ing, financial adviser and healthcare markets, surprised the market in December when it said the first-half of its financial year was better than expected.
The upbeat trading update came only three months after it had issued a profit warning. Misys said the improved performance was being driven by its banking division, the same division blamed for the earlier profit warning. Potentially good news - and not even spring yet.
