Good news for expats battling 4PM sunsets in the Northern Hemisphere

The shortest day of the year is almost here. For expats struggling with 4PM sunsets and endless dark evenings, it marks a turning point worth celebrating.

If you’ve watched the sun disappear at 15:53 while your mates back in Cape Town are firing up the braai in broad daylight at 19:00, you know the pain. That jarring contrast between what your body expects and what British winter delivers never quite goes away, no matter how many years you’ve been here.

The expat winter struggle is real

South Africans raised on consistent 12-hour day-night cycles find the Northern Hemisphere’s winter darkness genuinely shocking. Back home, even midwinter sunset in Cape Town is around 17:50. In London, you’re losing daylight by 16:00 in December.

The lack of sunlight affects more than just mood. Vitamin D deficiency, seasonal depression and a constant longing for Camps Bay sunsets are common complaints. Many expats book flights home for Christmas specifically to remember what proper daylight feels like, even if it means maxing out the credit card.

You start questioning life choices. Why did I leave a place where you can have sun-downers on the beach in winter for somewhere that’s pitch black before you leave the office?

Where do expats have it worst?

If you’re wondering whether your chosen destination got the short end of the stick, here’s how sunset times on 21 December compare across major South African expat hubs:

London expats drew the shortest straw. That 15:53 sunset is genuinely brutal compared to North American cities, and don’t even compare it to Cape Town’s luxurious 19:52.

Calgary might be colder, but at least you get an extra 43 minutes of daylight. Toronto and New York expats can smugly point out they’re nearly an hour better off than London.

But there’s genuine reason for optimism

The winter solstice arrives on 21 December 2024 at 15:03. From that exact moment, every single day gets progressively longer. It’s the astronomical turning point that tells you survival is possible.

The word “solstice” comes from Latin, meaning “sun standing still.” The Sun appears to pause before changing direction and moving north again. For expats, it’s the light at the end of the very dark tunnel.

How quickly do the days get longer in London?

The improvement is surprisingly swift once you pass the solstice. Here’s what London’s sunset times look like:

If you can survive January (and let’s be honest, it’s grim), sunset on 1 February is already 16:50. That extra hour makes a genuine difference to your mental state.

By 1 March, you’re getting sunset at 17:45, which starts feeling almost normal for a Capetonian. The clocks spring forward on 29 March, which is 98 days from the solstice. At that point, sunset hits 19:29 and suddenly you remember why you moved here in the first place.

Those long British summer evenings, when you can still see the ball at the cricket nets at 21:00, almost make up for December’s darkness. Almost.