The Dark Evenings Are Back. What Does Your Winter Wind-Down Actually Look Like?

The Clocks Go Back on 25 October - Here's How We Wind Down When It's Dark by 5pm

This Sunday, 25 October, the clocks across Europe go back one hour. On paper, that's a free extra hour of sleep. In practice, it's the weekend the evenings vanish. By the following week, it's properly dark here in Copenhagen before 17:00, and the cosy season officially begins.

We asked a friend if he was looking forward to the extra hour. He said he'd been saving it up for a rainy day. Then he looked out the window and realised that's every day until March...👨🏻

Dark evenings change how a home feels, and they change how we wind down. So this time, instead of handing out tips, we want to share what our own evenings actually look like and hear about yours.

Before Sunday: Get Your Habity Bedside Clock Ready for the Clock Change

One small practical note before the weekend. The clocks go back at 03:00 on Sunday 25 October, when 03:00 becomes 02:00. If you have a Habity bedside clock on your nightstand, here are two easy ways to make sure Monday's alarm goes off at the right time:

1. Set the time manually the night before. Before bed on Saturday, turn your clock back one hour. You'll wake up on Sunday to the correct time, with no maths needed before coffee. First setup covers where to find the time settings.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi and turn on Automatic time. Once your clock is online, Automatic time syncs and adjusts every night, so it stays accurate through the clock change and every one after it. Follow our Wi-Fi guide to get set up in a few minutes.

Either way, the extra hour is yours to spend on the sofa, not on wondering whether you're late.

Your Turn: What Does Your Winter Wind-Down Look Like?

We'd love to hear about your actual evenings, not the Pinterest version. Tell us on Instagram or Reddit:

• Your setup. Candles or fairy lights? Sofa or bed? What's within arm's reach?
• Your routine. What happens between dinner and lights out, and roughly when?
• What you've stopped doing. What did you drop when the evenings got dark, and do you miss it?
• Your one non-negotiable. The one small thing that makes a dark evening feel cosy instead of gloomy.

We'll be reading every answer, and the best ideas might just end up in a future post. Until then, light a candle, put the kettle on, and enjoy the extra hour.