The good news in the LR is that the MJO (at least in GEFS) races through phases 4-5 within a few days to a week or so, then we should see it get back into P7 by late Jan.
So maybe we get a window of opportunity between Jan 15-20, and again towards the end of the month into early feb. Plus the SSWE is actually in progress, so increased blocking throughout late Jan - Most of Feb