Winter Begins

The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year, making it the “shortest day” of the year. Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to once again grow longer and longer until we reach the summer solstice—the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.

For the northern half of Earth (the Northern Hemisphere), the winter solstice occurs annually on December 21 or 22. (The Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs in June.) The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in the whole year, making it the “shortest day” of the year.