I'd never thought to visualize a year! I have a weak - not non-existent, but weak - ability to generate mental images, so it takes focus and concentration to do so. Whatever image I might create would be contaminated by these examples, so I'm not going to try it now. I will try to remember to attempt it in a few months, just out of curiosity.

I will say that long years spent in, or associated with, academia means that the start of a year is irrevocably associated with September or so. January is 'meh', but autumn is alive with fresh possibility.