Why Sundays Used to Feel Longer

Ask anyone from Generation X about Sundays growing up and you will probably hear the same thing. They felt long. Not boring, just slower. Spacious. Like the day stretched out in a way that never quite happens now.

Part of it was the simple fact that nothing was in a rush. Shops were shut or closed early, buses were limited, and there was no sense that you had to be anywhere. Sundays were not for errands or productivity. They were for waiting, wandering, and filling time.

Television played a huge role. There were only a handful of channels and everyone watched the same things. A Sunday schedule was predictable but comforting. Kids’ shows in the morning, sport in the afternoon, and a big drama or film in the evening. You planned the day around what was on, not the other way around.

Meals took longer too. Sunday lunch was an event. Meat cooked slowly, vegetables boiled to within an inch of their lives, and everyone sitting down together. Even the washing up felt like part of the ritual. There was nowhere else to be, so time expanded to fill the space.

There was also boredom, but not the stressful kind. It was the sort of boredom that led to lying on the floor listening to the radio, flicking through the same magazines, or going out for a walk just to see what might happen. Without constant notifications or endless choices, the day unfolded naturally.

Today, Sundays often feel like a blurred extension of the working week. Shopping, emails, streaming, and social media compress time until the day disappears before you know it. But the memory of those long Sundays still lingers because they offered something rare: permission to slow down.

Maybe Sundays did not actually last longer. Maybe they just felt that way because we let them.