For January I've grown tired of the Beatles wallpaper, switched to something simpler and colorful for our dismal cold Winter weather upon us. Still using the same Tigris GTK Theme, gDesklets, and Avant Launcher. Also included is a weather gadget called Screenlets.
This month I setup text messaging using Pidgin. Using your AOL instant messenger User ID, just add your friends and family's text address as buddies. You can send and receive text messages right from within Pidgin. Below is the link how to do this:
http://features.engadget.com/2004/07/13/how-to-use-aol-instant-messenger-to-send-a-text-message-to-a/