Early sunsets, how does it make you feel?

chic

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U.S.
Sometimes the clouds just burn off and the sun comes out and wham ! It's 4:00 pm so the sun sets. I makes me sad. This time of year is such a challenge for spring and summer worshippers.
How do you feel about the super early sunsets of the fall and winter months? Does it bring you down or doesn't it matter at all?
 

I don't like it, even though I'm a night owl. Maybe part of it is that it limits the things you can do, at least the outdoors things.
 
Don't like it. Prefer longer daylight. I also DETEST daylight saving time when I have to reset all my watches & clocks TWICE /year.

Wish California would do away with it, like Arizona and Hawaii. Wonder what it takes?
 

Well, I get up late lately, like around 3 pm so it's dark really soon. I don't mind it but I'm not seeing much day light at all. Feeling like I'm living the night life...lol :) I have to start trying to get my hours somewhat "normal" again.
 
Well, it is now less than a month until days begin to get longer. Winter solstice, wheee. I hate the darkness all the time and now we start to have the gray days when we don't see the sun at all. I feel like a bear in hibernation. Glad it doesn't last very long. What time does it get dark where you live? 5:00 here, but on the gray days, 4:30 it starts to get dark.
 
Its just 5 PM here and getting dark,,,,,,however the sky is overcast and it's been raining off and on most of the afternoon.

I'm in the Los Angeles area.
 
I don't mind it, just accept it as a sign of winter and adjust my activities accordingly. I love the four seasons and don't mind DST, except for resetting the digital clocks of course. :)
 
I find it a bit depressing which is pretty common, especially in the North; it's called light deprivation and the way to remedy the depression is to add more "daylight" lighting. I've done that in two rooms, I've changed light bulbs to brighter "daylight" color bulbs and I keep the lights on more on dull, dark days. I find that it also helps to brave the cold and spend time outside on bright days. Still, there is no better cure than Spring or being a snowbird!

When we first immigrated to Canada, We settled in a remote mining town in the Yukon Territory. Winters there were very dark, the sun came up about 11 am, skimmed along the southern horizon, then went down by 3 pm. Since I worked inside, the only time I ever saw the sun was at lunch break.
 
I have a little "seasonal sadness" at first when the days get short, but it doesn't take too long to adjust.

When I lived in Michigan, in the deep winter I went to work in the dark and I came home in the dark. If I didn't leave the building (no windows) for lunch, I'd think I was living on the dark side of the moon. Now, THAT depressed the hell out of me.
 
Sounds crazy, but I actually enjoy it. My house is warm and cozy, I enjoy making a nice dinner and not just throwing salads on the table because it's to hot to cook. I get comfortable in my recliner after dinner,read or watch a bit of TV, or get involved in some project around the house. Something I don't do during the summer because I go outside and garden,to darn hot during the day. For me each season has its benefits.
 
I'm a night owl so it doesn't bother me too much unless I have to drive a long way in the dark. I don't see as well at night as I used to. I like that it makes the night seem longer.
 
I love it this time of year with less sunlight but I live in Phoenix so that probably has a lot to do with it. I'm already dreading the days when there is more sunlight.
 
Well, it is now less than a month until days begin to get longer. Winter solstice, wheee. I hate the darkness all the time and now we start to have the gray days when we don't see the sun at all. I feel like a bear in hibernation. Glad it doesn't last very long. What time does it get dark where you live? 5:00 here, but on the gray days, 4:30 it starts to get dark.

I know. I feel like hibernating too, but I can't. It's dark here, in MA., by about 4:10 PM. That's way too early for full darkness. Yuck. Less than a month away, the days start getting longer and I'll feel more optimistic for that. :eek:
 
I have read, where some anthropologists suspect that peoples in the far north actually DID hibernate. They slept a lot through the darkest days, getting up to feed the animals, tend the fire, eat and drink a little, then back to sleep. As much as I enjoy the bright summer days, I look forward to the winter months and rest too. That is when I can do quiet things like read, bake, knit, enjoy a nap and do crosswords by the fire. Perhaps we are healthier if we live by nature's rules instead of what we think we can control.? (just thinking "out loud")

Having lived in the southwest US where it was sunny every day I craved that "down time" when it would be dark, rainy or snow. We have had one good snowstorm in TN but I so miss that excuse to relax! Looking forward to retirement back in New England.
 
I don't love it but one thing I do is make sure to get outside during the daylight hours, and I like to sit and watch the sunset all the way until it's dark. Somehow those two things really help.
 


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