As a major clock retailer of antique and new grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantel clocks and more, and being based in New York City, we generally get multiple inquiries from major television programs who want to come in and film us, hopefully in their eyes, frantically changing the times of hundreds of clocks as Daylight Savings Time begins in the Spring and clocks are moved ahead an hour, or in the Fall, when Daylight Savings Time ends, we move clocks back an hour, and most of us relish that extra our of sleep, and in the day! Changing the times of so many clocks can make for great theater, but it is not as exciting as it might sound.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts on Sunday, March 12, 2017. We will “Spring forward” 1 Hour at 2am on Sunday. That is right, the time of year is approaching when we need to change our clocks (and rearrange our sleeping rhythms as best we can) to Daylight Savings Time. We do have to give up that extra hour of sleep we got in the Spring, as great as it seemed at the time.
Many individuals spend the first week perhaps a bit groggy or disoriented, and with one’s circadian rhythm affected, perhaps even in a foul mood. In fact, DST is so loathed by some, that it is among the reasons some States are now considering a ban on DST altogether.
The good news is that we will have, on average, three hours of extra daylight to do outdoor activities after work. In fact, we will gain on average an extra 80 hours of sunlight this month, and will continue gaining extra sunlight more and more each day and week until the July peak.
Something to look forward too, especially on these sometimes cold and windy and still snowy days in many parts of North America and the USA. Thanks to Wikipedia for succinctly explaining that while most areas of the United States observe daylight saving time (DST), the exceptions are Arizona (except for the Navajo, who do observe daylight saving time on tribal lands), Hawaii, and the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Finally, we would be remiss if we did not encourage all of our Clocks Blog readers to use the beginning of Daylight Savings Time as a reminder for a great marker, perhaps starting a new tradition if you do not already do something similar, of changing all of the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It is also a good time to inspect them to check as best you can that they are still in good working condition. Obviously, seek expert advice wherever you feel it might be appropriate, including whether it is time to replace your smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector.
Be safe, enjoy life, and practice our trademarked slogan to: Add Time to Your Life.
Chasing Time