You could do what they do in colder places and buy brightly colored stuff for your place. It’ll still be dark outside but at least the inside will look cheerier.
You could also try planning some beginning of the year parties with friends. That would certainly give you events to look forward to.
Cats totally talk to each other. They chirp, meow, cry, etc. However, I’m pretty sure cats are also aliens so they probably communicate with teleCAThy.