Montreal, which is a city that takes it easy in winter—with a good dose of hibernation for itscoolest citizens, for those who haven’t left for the sun to stay golden even during the coldest months. Obviously, the vast majority of Montrealers don’t have the luxury of beingsnowbirds and, “like everyone else,” work from 9 to 5.
Despite Dolly Parton’s song, despite the return of shoulder pads on blazers, and despite the advantages of a well-organized schedule—with salad eaten between noon and 1 p.m.— thenine-to-five grind istough in winter.
And one of the reasons we stuff ourselves with vitamin C to avoid a kind of seasonal depression that resembles the distress described in great romantic novels is because we no longer see the sun. We leave in the morning, it’s dark. We come home, it’s dark. But cheer up! It’s over!
The soft red rays of the sun after work
The light of sunset is one of the most important and beneficial to feel on your skin. It’s not the strongest, but it’s the most beneficial, and even a short 10-minute walk (between the office, the subway, and bed) is enough to restore your mental beauty.
Red light (which we desperately use in masks to prevent our skin from falling apart in Montreal’s dry winter) has a temperature between 2700 and 3000 Kelvin. This light temperature, which is that of sunsets, is extremely beneficial.
First, for mental health, because oh, despair! The flesh is sad, alas, and winter is long, long, long. Watching the sunset and being exposed to red light regulates the circadian rhythm. When our body’s sleep-wake cycle is well regulated, we sleep better, digest better, and our cortisol and stress levels drop.
A calm nervous system is all we wish for you at the end of winter. In addition to the beauty of the light, sunset makes us happier, reminding us that it is daytime and that tomorrow will be daytime too.
Sunsets: a few figures
On Sunday, February 22, 2026, the sun will set at 5:32 p.m. in Montreal.
From then on,it will set later and later in Montreal until the summer solstice on June 20, 2026.
The spring equinox (when day and night are of equal length) will be on March 20, 2026.
Havea wonderful end of winter! Enjoy the sunset!