I get wistful in January, thinking of all the things I’d like to accomplish in the new year. Finally learning to knit is always high on my list (that’s why I love checking out gifts for knitters). But there are also lots of other things I’d love to learn, so I’m always perusing classes.

If you’ve got a friend like me who think there’s no time like the present to learn something new, check out these fun courses. You just might find me taking them too.

PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PHOTOWHOA

Taking great photographs is an art, but it’s also fun, satisfying and can be profitable. That’s why I’m excited to try out the classes at PhotoWhoa. The company makes experts out of beginners in just about any type of photography you like. Want to take better pictures of your family? Take PhotoWhoa’s “Family Posing Made Easy” class. Want to retouch photos to make them look better? PhotoWhoa has a “Retouching In Photoshop” class. The class I really want to take is the “Travelers Complete Collection,” which includes video tutorials. PhotoWhoa has a “Send as a gift” option for all their classes, so you can give them to your shutterbug friends. If you buy quickly, you could even catch their sale.

COOKING WITH THE CHEF & THE DISH

Cooking great meals is not only fun, it impresses your friends and loved ones. And hearing “Wow! That was amazing!” when they take their first bite of your food is incredible. So taking classes from The Chef & The Dish is on my bucket list. The company offers private, one-on-one classes with renowned chefs from around the world. And the best part is, you can take the classes at home via Skype. The chef cooks alongside you, and you can ask all the questions you want. How wonderful is that? The Chef & The Dish offers cooking classes for Thai, Italian, Brazilian and more. You can also buy gift certificates so your loved ones can choose the type of cuisine they want to perfect.

FOOD BLOGGING WITH PINCH OF YUM

Know someone who already knows how to cook and wants to start a new career as a food blogger? 2020 could be the year. Successful food blog Pinch of Yum has an ebook that details how to perfect the one thing that creator Lindsay points to for her success: food photography. Lindsay started her blog in her spare time while she was a fourth grade teacher. Now she not only runs her blog full time, she teaches others. Her sbook offers technical tips, composition, lighting, props, editing and more.

Personally, I want to take all these classes and dig into this book. What do you want to learn this year?