A screen-free evening by candlelight: a small Christmas-season ritual for dark winter days
In Northern Europe it is fully dark by five o’clock in winter, and in the weeks before Christmas the evenings feel even longer. They usually fill themselves: phone, laptop, TV, phone again. This is the season of Christmas candles, and one soy wax candle with half an hour away from screens can change how the day ends.
What screens do to the evening
Sleep researchers point out that bright, bluish light from screens in the evening slows the release of melatonin, the hormone that tells the body it’s night. Their advice is simple: in the hours before sleep, dim the lights, choose warm light and put screens away.
A candle is one of the warmest light sources there is. It doesn’t replace sleep advice, but it makes it easier to follow: a lit candle signals that the day is over.
A 30-minute ritual for Advent evenings
- Choose a time. For example, an hour before bed.
- Put the phone away. In another room, or at least face down and on silent.
- Turn off the ceiling light and light a candle. One is enough.
- Do something slow. A book, herbal tea, a conversation, writing Christmas cards or simply looking out at the snow.
- Blow the candle out before you go to bed. It marks the end of the evening.
Why the Nordic countries know this well
Danes call this mood hygge: a warm, unhurried feeling of comfort. They are also among Europe’s biggest candle users, burning about 4.3 kg per person a year, roughly three times the EU average. It’s no coincidence that candles matter most where winters are darkest.
Our winter designs – the hedgehog, the bunny and the owl – were made for exactly these evenings. Like every Vilma Candles design, they are our own, poured by hand in Riga from 100% soy wax and unscented. No perfume, so they won’t disturb anyone in a small room, even in the bedroom before sleep. They also make a quiet Christmas candle gift.
Order by 10 December for delivery before Christmas in most of Europe. Delivery is half price from €48, and free from €48 in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Sources: Sleep Foundation; Statista.