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.

Curtains keep the chill out of a room.

I live somewhere quite dark, no streetlights and the stars are fantastic.

Well I think you must have a very small sample size!! Stockholm is number 4 for top Christmas light energy usage and London is 7th for using the least energy!!

Are you sure you’re not getting the UK confused with the US? I’ve never thought the UK light up their houses very much at all, especially compared to where I’m from in mainland Europe.

https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/EU-cities-that-use-the-most-energy-for-christmas-lights/

Question-
Do people sit with the "Big Light" on in the evening?
I've always had a little table lamp on knee corner so it gives the room a bit of light but it's not brightly lit at all (if that makes sense)

Because it’s like Blackpool illuminations when you put the bloody big light on

Having lamps in the windows is pointless and it wouldn’t occur to us to do it.

Having curtains open is an invitation to burglars to scope out your house.

I imagine living in a country where there is (traditionally) higher trust, and less daylight in the winter has evolved different preferences.

Never mind anything else, I love being able to see the stars. There is a village near us that has no street lights...

Always. Rooms only lit by lamps look gloomy to me. Only 2 of the 3 bulbs in my big light are working at the moment and it's annoying me.

Curtains keep the heat in

Does everyone sit in darkness because they are worrying about the environment, modern lightbulbs are very low wattage, better not boil that kettle and definitely don't leave that Quooker heating water constantly

the cost of electricity mostly.

The LED lights that has been standard here for 15 years or so are just fine. But if you are so worried about The Environment (which obviously we all are), perhaps you should throw out your bath tubs and stop wasting water. And recycle properly. Use your bikes more. 90% of my colleagues cycle to work, snow or rain. But I think OP meant this as a light hearted thread.

When I've been in Scandinavia in winter it seems like people celebrate the cold and dark and make it beautiful while we just wrap up and wait for it to go away.

Have you never questioned the point of putting lamps in your windows while you are asleep at night? Why? Brits don't do this because it serves no purpose!

I love this question! I remember moving to an area of England where there were no lights in the houses; it all seemed so dreary and uninviting. I couldn’t never quite put my finger on it! I love the houses at Christmas with fairy lights making things look pretty. I think I should move to Sweden!

It’s just so different though. That’s because it’s Christmas and they are our pretty, festive lights. I sit watching Christmas films enjoying my seasonal decor. I don’t put them on to light up the streets outside.
Putting a switched on lamp in the window of a room I’m not even sat in, just to light the street up, is a completely different thing.

I was just thinking today how nice it would be if the councils would leave up the Christmas Dec's all January!! It's such a cold dark month. Its so depressing when they all come down.

The street across from mine have fairylights going from house to house (it's terraces along a cul de sac) they all chip in for them and leave them up till spring!!
Unfortunately I'm on a main road so I won't be doing that.
But I do leave coloured fairy lights in my window all year round that I have on at night. They aren't that bright and don't flash or anything... I think they just make the street look more jolly when it's dark.

I didn’t think it would get this emotional either. I better not mention that I always ask people to take their shoes off when visiting 😝

When you say December do you mean Christmas week? Because most people will be at home this week when they’re usually out? Surely the most logical explanation.

We have an outside light. It comes on when it’s dark but is quite dim and as it’s led it doesn’t use much power. When you approach it, it gets brighter. Dh likes it because he works shifts and often comes home/leaves the house in darkness.
I really like the ops idea though. However unless it’s a very hot day, I draw the curtains to keep it warm.

Virtually all light bulbs are LED these days and barely use any electricity.

All our lights are lamps, apart from one bedside lamp they’re all on windowsills. No curtains/blinds either on our downstairs windows. Its lovely not being the first one and seeing the lights through the windows.

Never have the “big light” on. I have two table lamps, and a couple of candles.

I think for us it’s important to embrace the cold and darkness. To make it as nice as you possibly can. Different cultures perhaps.

I don't like seeing black outside my windows, so as soon as it's dark I draw my curtains.

The inside of my house is like Blackpool Towers though! I'm sitting in my living room with the big light on and the door open, and I need to be able to see light through that door. So my hall light is on, as is the light in the kitchen opposite (the door of which is always open). If I've been upstairs, the landing light will probably be on too.

I don't care. They're all LEDs so there's no reason to feel guilty. And it's better for my mental health.