No one has promised to review it in January. It could be reviewed any time. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now. It all depends on when our volunteer Science editors get to it.
What happens in January is that if the site isn't listed yet, we'll take a peek for you and make sure the site wasn't rejected, or accidentally deleted from the queue.
Not beeing listed here may be our end.
As important as the ODP has become, it is not the only way to promote your site. You shouldn't be putting all your eggs in one basket.
Apply directly to some search engines. You can apply directly to Google you know at
http://www.google.com/addurl.html - it won't get you in the directory, but it should get you in the search engine.
Other search engines, directories, and services are available too. Do some research and I'm sure you'll find the links.
