Why do Brits live in darkness except for December?

[Swedegirl48]

I am Swedish and at home if you walk down a street, most houses will have lamps in some of the windows, outside lights and usually people don’t draw curtains so you can see the lights from within the houses. I was asking British DH today why Brits tend to light up their houses so enthusiastically in December, but the rest of the year people draw their curtains and no one seems to put lamps in the windows (at least not where we live which is London). I am the only person in my street who has a lamp in every window of my house and leave some on overnight too. I think I am trying to overcompensate for my very dark street.

If you read/watch Nordic noir it’s very prevalent

In real life, if you have lights on and it’s dark outside you’re lit up and very visible from quite a distance away and you can’t see a thing. It makes me feel vulnerable. I like my privacy. If you’ve ever lived in the type of terraced house where the front door opens onto the pavement you’ll know how nosey people stare into living rooms as they walk past. Lighting up your space not closing the curtains is almost an invitation to gawp.

Because we don't want it looking like Blackpool blooming illuminations out there...and get that big light switched off. 😁

@mathanxiety if you've lived in/are from the UK, surely you will have seen that houses in the UK are pretty close to the public pavements, so unless you live remotely or in a cul-de-sac, most homes will get passers-by? In lots of places, people's front doors are right on the public pavement with no separation at all

My 1920's semi-detached house is separated from the public pavement only by my driveway, which is the length of my car. It's typical of the area I live in where most houses are 1920's-1930's. It's quite easy and not uncommon for people to look in the windows on a dark night when they see a light; I've done this myself when walking past brightly lit houses, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

I am British living in Sweden with my Swedish husband. Swedish homes look so cozy and welcoming with the warm lights in the windows but seriously in the village where I live that is as far as the cozy welcome goes. Locals would rather saw their arms off than raise them to wave hello/hej. False advertising Sweden - warm lighting, cold hearts.

I wish people would leave their lights on, and curtains open. It makes it much easier for me to case the joint and see if they have the sort of stuff that is worth me nicking.

Does Sweden have less street lighting than the UK?

Closed curtains help retain the heat. Putting lights in windows would use power with no discernible benefit. (Towns and villages have street lighting. Very rural areas only rarely have passing pedestrians, who would be expected to carry a torch in the dark.)

It's just not part of our culture.

But is it not the case that the length of time that it's dark is longer than in the UK as Sweden is further north? Perhaps that's why lights are more in use in this way.

I had a look online at images of swedish houses and it does look lovely with the lights in the window.

It is incredibly inconsiderate of them

We don't have outside lights but put on LED strip lights that surround the back and front windows and change the colours when we want to. Have floor lamps on in through lounge and dining room too.

Don't put lights on upstairs unless we are up there.

Some interesting opinions on here.

Personally I can’t feel comfortable slobbing about in my front room knowing everyone can look in and see me.

Well this explains the light section of Ikea.

Until now I'd only heard of lamps being put in windows when someone had gone missing to help 'guide them home'.

I think it also explains why many UK hotel rooms are so dark you can't see what you're doing in them unless it's light outside, which is difficult in winter if you arrive at 6 pm and leave before 8 the next day.

We always use 'the big light' because, well why wouldn't you? But it seems we are in a minority because hotels these days don't even have a proper light as most prefer to stumble around and pack, unpack and do everything else in semi darkness after turning on all the lamps and then have to piss about trying to get them all off again when they leave. Or it seems that people just leave them on 24/7?

It probably does. We were in Iceland recently which is famously heated and powered by abundant and very cheap geothermal energy and there was a sign in the apartment telling us that if we got too hot, we were not to touch the heating system, but to open the windows as the Icelandic way of controlling temperature inside was to keep the heating on all the time and open the windows to let the excess out.

The story behind the window lamps is quite nice. On remote houses they were there to guide people who were lost in snow storms and in more densly populated areas with multiple houses they were lit to show if it's a house where you can get help if you were in any kind of trouble.

If you had no lights it meant don't come to me for help basically, so that was seen as very unfriendly.

That's the same as in Sweden. Last night I had the bedroom window open for a while in my mum's house as it felt too hot to sleep. It was -14 degrees outside but probably 21 or so inside, it's all geothermal heating.

Bizarre how people have got so defensive and angry on a thread that was started with what was, quite obviously, curiosity, where people are sharing their own preferences.

OP I wasn't aware of this about Sweden, but it sounds lovely! Love Christmas when people have twinkly lights in their windows.

I can't bear the big light, it feels clinical and unwelcoming to me and, as others have said, is reserved only for when looking for something (then turned off immediately). Lamps light rooms perfectly well and it's much more cosy. I don't like curtains open once it's dark though, knowing I'm visible when I can't see outside makes me feel vulnerable.

My neighbours have their curtains open with daylight bulbs in their big lights, which are always on, and their house looks so cold. Like living next door to a medical practice rather than a home.

Does anyone remember the fashion several years ago when people put those lights that looked like candles in their windows?

I think a lot of people put real candles in resulting in an increase in house fires.

You can't be serious, who walks past houses in the dark with the lights on and curtains open and doesnt look in our of natural curiosity ?

I'd hazard a guess that most Brits are not fans of living their lives as if on a silent stage once it gets dark

When I’m walking the dog I’m always fascinated by people with lights on and curtains wide open, whilst sitting or lying on the sofa. It’s like living in a goldfish bowl. Yes I do always look in.

If everyone does it then nobody cares if the curtains aren't closed. If every other house is dark and has their curtains drawn but one who has their light on and people moving about in there then there might be more people looking in. You just need the rest of the street to join in basically. It's really not like living on a silent stage, you don't see that much unless you go right up to the window.

I agree. .The ‘big light’ switching on is cause for cries of ‘noooo switch it off’ in this house. We have a few lamps and candles, much softer, warm light.

I feel exactly the same. I like my privacy.

Exactly this. It's an unusual form of "Brit bashing" isn't it, but in the scheme of things quite trivial.

We have lamps indoors and mainly use them. I wouldn't have one on the window sill though as we shut the curtains to keep the heat in. I used the big light if I'm reading or crafting.

We do have some outdoor Christmas lights for December though. Most people on our street do, there's no street lights here. I definitely miss them once they're taken down.

I like hearing about other countries winter coping strategies though.

Sweden has looong hours of darkness in the winter so I think the culture around light is different.