It happens every year, yet we are often caught off guard or surprised at how short the days grow come September. We are lulled by the warm sunshine and temperatures during the day and long to continue to enjoy evening activities and prolong summer entertainment, only to be shocked by how quickly the sun sets this time of the year. I end up with the uncomfortable job of reminding you, my clients, of the shorter days. To prepare for this newsletter, I looked up sunset times on this chart and we actually lose about 2.5 mins a day of sunlight. Does not seem like much but compare sunset on last Saturday September 7, at 7:17pm to sunset this Saturday September 14 at 7:05pm. Still does not seem that significant, but if you were planning on entertaining this weekend, and hoped to have cocktails outside and invited your guests for 7pm, the sun will be setting as your guests arrive! Certainly something to consider and keep in mind. Right now I am working on events in October, and one month from now, on October 11, the sun will set at 6:20pm; a full hour earlier than last Saturday. You may be thinking, how about September 23? The Fall Equinox? Perhaps that would be a day to maximize sunshine. However, it appears that is not true and you will notice it as you look at that table of daylight hours and notice they keep diminishing even after September 23 as it has more to do with the Earth’s axis tilt. So we can watch that sunset chart until November 3, 2019 as that is the date that Daylight Savings ends.
I always ask clients if they have good lighting, enough to make sure no one trips, but not so bright as flood lights that you have to shield your eyes from the glare. So what is a host or hostess to do? There are so many soft touches of lights today that you can be creative and enhance your space with not too much effort or cost. String lights can help define and gently light the space. Torches can still be used if you have them handy. Candles are always a soft touch too. Strings of lights in jars and wine bottles are also some great DIY and Pinterest type ideas that are easy to execute. You can even rent light up Bars!
A gas fire pit is a great idea too as they do not require the attention that a real fire does and they go on sale this time of the year! Or you can also use architectural heaters that look like flickering towers to not only add some heat but also romantic light. Of course, if you really need heat, the mushroom style outdoor heaters do throw a considerable amount of heat. A nice touch is to offer your guests a colorful pashmina or cashmere type wrap or a basket of blankets if you are all sitting around the firepit or fireplace to socialize.
If you have landscaping that includes architectural or up lighting of trees that is always gently appealing and does not look like stadium lights! This Saturday we will have a Full Harvest Moon to shine some light on our night which is always a treat to see natural landscape lighting, too! Moonrise is 7:19pm on 9/13 and 7:44pm on 9/14.
Of course if the weather and temperature are not cooperating, you can always create your own environment with a tent! So do not dismay, just because there is a chill in the air the lights have to go on earlier, it is not a reason to stop enjoying your outdoor space. Fall is a beautiful time of the year. I encourage you to enjoy it with your family and friends before the snow falls! Yikes!
Our crew is not afraid to work outdoors with a black fleece and attend to your guests needs. We look forward to helping you shine the light on your fall entertainment. Call us anytime.