It’s 2:30 pm on a Saturday in December, and I’m squinting out the windows, trying to find the Chugach mountains that are usually visible from my backyard. They’re hidden behind a wall of ice fog that has engulfed the entire city of Anchorage and has hidden the sun from view. Which honestly doesn’t matter, because the sun is so far down on the southern horizon that it appears to be setting for the entire 5.5 hours that it is up. This is December in Alaska, the worst month of the year up here.
When I moved to Alaska from Philadelphia, I was constantly asking people, “Is it really that cold up here in the winter?” and, “Is the snow terrible?”. Everyone would answer the same way: no, it’s not really that much colder than some places in the midwest, and no, we really haven’t been getting much snow these last few years. And then they would pause, look off into the distance, and say, “But the darkness…” while sighing deeply. I would smile, secure in the fact that the winters weren’t that bad. What I didn’t realize is that the darkness of winter at the 61st latitude was worse than any cold or snow I could imagine. I had no idea what true darkness meant until my first December in Alaska.
I go to work in darkness. I leave work in darkness. When I go outside for my lunch break around 11:00, I can see the sun rising on the southern horizon as long as there aren’t clouds covering the sky (which they are, more often than not). My days are spent in a windowless office, and I don’t even mind because the thought of watching the sun start to set at 3:00 pm is depressing. I spend my days hoping for more snow because it makes it brighter outside when it’s dark, but the past few weeks have been so warm that the snow is melting and all we get is rain. It’s currently icy everywhere, making it tough to get outside and do the things that I love.
I didn’t realize what darkness could do to a person. Seasonal Affective Disorder is very real. I first begin noticing it in October when my mood turns from adventurous and happy to grumpy and reclusive. By December my SAD is full blown, and most days you can find me laying on a sofa after work, my body aching and my mind thinking sad thoughts. The holidays are hard enough when you’re away from your family – but they’re even worse when your body is screaming for Vitamin D.
So what helps me get through December and the rest of the dark winters in Alaska?
- A daily dose of 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D, which I take year round
- A Happy Light on my desk at work that I use for one hour each day
- Regularly scheduled exercise. I’m currently doing Pilates and spin class.
- Regularly scheduled adventures. If it’s good outdoors I’ll hike or fatbike, but if not I’ll go to the climbing gym. I need to get my adrenaline going!
- Time outside when the sun is up. Lunch break dog walks are perfect.
- Mini vacations. I try to book a few cabins throughout the winter to give myself a small trip to look forward to every once in a while.
- Trying new things. I signed up for cross country ski lessons (which just got cancelled due to lack of good snow) so that I can get better at something that will help me enjoy the winter outside.
This December might be warm, icy, and blah, but I’m doing everything I can to survive it. I’m looking forward to the winter solstice so that we can stop losing 4 minutes of sunlight each day and finally start gaining it back!
What’s your least favorite thing about the winter? Which would you rather deal with in the winter: cold, snow, or darkness?
Mom in the Mtns 
I struggle with the darkness of winter here in the UK so I can only imagine what it’s like up there… The snow back home (in Canada) made it more bearable thant the endless English rain… But Alaska looks stunningly beautiful!
It’s so beautiful up here! But so dark in December. Snow definitely makes it better so I hope it gets cold enough for snow again soon. I didn’t realize the UK was super dark too. Good luck getting through these last couple dark weeks until winter solstice!
I can’t imagine living in the darkness in Alaska. I have sunlight withdrawals bad enough here in the Midwest. I like your plan of mood boosters for staying as happy as possible during the winter!
Thanks! Yeah it’s rough up here. Our lovely midnight sun in the summertime makes up for it, but this definitely sucks right now.
I hate darkness too. That’s why I don’t like the summer solstice because I know every day thereafter the days are getting shorter, even though we still have plenty of sunlight.
Yes! I completely agree. The summer solstice is fun to celebrate because you can basically be out all night and it never gets dark, but once it happens I realize we’re getting closer to the super dark time of the year.
I absolutely love the snow, and I don’t mind the cold but lack of sunlight is what kills me. I’m in Colorado and it’s so sunny here but the sun still goes down at 4pm this time of year and it’s rough. I can’t imagine being in Alaska this time of year. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so jealous of people in Colorado. I heard you get a lot of sunny days all year long. We get so much rain up here! I hope you continue to get lots of sunshine and snow!
Man, I’m bummed for you that the snow is so crappy there too! The snow in Utah is so off and on, but that’s what happens living in a desert. But I always figured that Alaska would get more snow. I’m sorry that the darkness is so prevalent, that can seriously take a toll on you. Best of luck to you this winter!
Last year we got lots of snow and it was amazing. This year started out with a few good snowfalls but now it’s just being warm and rainy. I’m really hoping we get more snow before Christmas, I can see grass in my backyard so I don’t think this will count as a white Christmas anymore!
Same for us – it was insane, record-breaking amounts of snow and now there’s barely anything on the ground. I’d love to get a ton of snow – we can finally afford to go snowboarding, it’d be disappointing to not be able to go!
I hate cold, snow, and darkness so living in Alaska would be a terrible choice for me! It sounds like you’re being proactive and doing everything you can to stave off SAD. Thanks for sharing this!
Haha! Well you should definitely come up here in the summer, it’s warm and the sun never sets and it’s gorgeous. But right now is the worst and I would never tell anyone to visit in December!
I’m planning on going there in August to run a half marathon. I can’t wait!
I can’t even imagine the lack of daylight in Alaska, it’s bad enough in Seattle! I’ll take the cold and snow any day over no light. I do a lot of the same things you do, and dream of the return of spring and summer!
Yeah our weather is a lot like Seattle! I hope summer returns soon so that both of us can get back out there.
Aside from the darkness/cold weather, how do you like Alaska in comparison to Philadelphia? Are the people nice? I’ve never been but I’m interested in venturing there one day!🤗
Hi! I absolutely loved your post! I’ve been “obsessed” with Alaska for the last few years now, so I love reading posts like these! You can only do so much research online, but reading your experiences like this one was great! I always read about the weather, but not enough about the darkness. Thanks for this post! I also gave you a follow! 🙂