I think it’s safe to say most kids enjoy holiday lights. But my sister and I had a tradition when we were growing up.
Every time we were in the back seat of the car,we’d be glued to our respective windows, scanning the neighborhood. And when we spotted a house that was really decorated—strands of lights, figurines, inflatables, the full enchilada—we’d yell “CHRISTMAS!” as loudly as possible.
I’m sure it partially annoyed my parents, who were trying to drive us wherever safely. But my mom has brought it up more than once over the years, so I think it landed as a good memory.
Holiday lights don’t stay up forever.
But light—and how it affects your body and your routine—is actually something that’s been surprisingly helpful for my trading.
Setting Intentions Around Sleep (Not Just Wake-Up Time)
One thing I’ve started doing recently is setting clearer intentions around when I go to sleep, not just when I wake up.
Sure, I still use an alarm in the morning. That hasn’t changed.
But I’ve gotten much more deliberate about how I wind down.
One of the biggest shifts for me has been avoiding overhead lights in the evening.
Most modern homes—including mine—have recessed lighting throughout. And instead of keeping those on, I switch to lamps (or lately my Christmas tree) once I’m settling down, especially if I’m sitting to watch TV.
I try to reduce overhead lighting as much as possible once my wind down really starts.
Doing the “Bright Light” Tasks Earlier
Along with that, I try to get anything done earlier that requires bright lights.
For example:
- Brushing my teeth (bathroom lights)
- Doing dishes (kitchen overhead lights)
- Any last-minute tasks that force the room to stay bright
I move those up in the evening so that the final stretch before bed can stay calm and subdued.
Creating that environment—where lighting stays soft all the way until I hit the pillow—has made a noticeable difference in my sleep quality.
The Red Light Phone Experiment
Another option—and this one’s a little more for the daring—is adjusting your phone settings to use red light in the evening instead of blue light.
There are settings you can search for whether you’re on an iPhone, Android, or something else.
I did try this.
And honestly? The change felt pretty intense. Maybe I didn’t give myself enough time to adjust.
But I’ve heard amazing things from friends who stuck with it and swear by the difference it made.
The Biggest Factor: Darkness Where You Sleep
The most important piece, though, isn’t just overhead lights or phone settings.
It’s how much light you allow into the room where you sleep.
I know not everyone can control everything.
Maybe you have roommates. Maybe you can’t easily change the window dressings. Maybe your setup isn’t ideal.
But everything you can do to make your sleeping quarters as dark as possible will help with getting better sleep.
And better sleep feeds directly into better trading—focus, patience, emotional regulation, all of it.
It happens to be Christmas Eve as I’m sharing this, so I wanted to keep us in the holiday spirit—but also pass along something that helps in the long run.
Those lights my sister and I used to yell about?
They were fun to look at—but we didn’t keep them blazing all night.
Same idea here.
Brightness has its moment. Rest matters too.
~ Hima
