All about January
This Roman god of beginnings gives January its name.
Who is Janus?
What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
an artichoke
I bring order to chaos, yet I’m almost weightless.
Though metal, I bend to your will.
Lose me, and your papers wander.
Use too many of me, and your papers rebel.
What office tool am I?
A paperclip.
I start with a guess, end with a signature, and live in a stack. What am I?
Paperwork
What is the name for when water vapor freezes into a feathery, glittery layer on surfaces, often sparkling like diamonds.
Hoarfrost
This zodiac sign covers January 1–19.
Capricorn
I shave every day, but my beard stays the same—who am I?
a barber
Everyone swears they left me “right there,”
yet I vanish more times a day than your patience can handle.
I am sharpened, borrowed, pocketed, and blamed—
but rarely returned.
Without me, signatures stall and notes disappear.
What office tool am I?
A pen.
No matter how many times you remove me, I always come back in the morning. What am I?
E mails
What some insects make, that keep their bodies from freezing solid in winter.
“antifreeze” proteins
Gemstone is the traditional birthstone for January.
Garnet
The more of me you take, the more you leave behind—what am I?
Footsteps
I let you see everything, yet I am not glass.
I hold no content of my own,
but without me you would see nothing.
I can brighten your workday or give you headaches.
I’m touched by no hands, yet covered in fingerprints.
What office tool am I?
The computer monitor.
I exist in every office; I multiply when ignored; I disappear when shared. What am I?
Information
Though single crystals have six sides, complex clusters can have this many
What is twelve?
Individual snow crystals have six‑fold symmetry, but snowflake clusters can form 12‑sided shapes.
Flower, symbolizing love and admiration, is one of January’s birth flowers
Carnation
What has dozens of stories but can’t tell you a thing?
A building
I guard more information than any person here,
yet I never speak a word.
People ask me for things every day,
but only those with the right permission can see inside.
When I’m full, your work slows. When I break, your day is ruined.
What office tool am I?
The file server / shared drive.
I’m great at math because I always count on myself. What am I
A calculator
This percentage of Earth’s land stays under permanent snow and ice.
What is 12 percent?
Permanent snow/ice (cryosphere) covers roughly 12% of Earth’s land surface.
Winter sport reaches its peak popularity in January
Skiing
I go around the office all day but never leave my desk. What am I?
A swivel chair
I begin with a question that no one fully answers,
continue in circles until everyone is exhausted,
and end with tasks no one remembers assigning.
Some say I solve problems; others say I create them.
What am I?
A meeting.
I get smaller the more I work?
A pencil
This Antarctic research station logged the coldest air temperature ever observed on Earth in 1983.
What is Vostok Station?
The coldest temperature recorded on Earth was –128.6°F (–89.2°C) at Vostok Station, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.