Celebrating the Winter Solstice

[Sason]

Happy Winter Solctice everyone!
Days will get longer from tomorrow on, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yaaaayy indeed!

Unless the world comes to an end today, in which case I'm afraid there will be no more days, longer or not longer....    

[delalluvia]

Yaaaayy indeed!

Unless the world comes to an end today, in which case I'm afraid there will be no more days, longer or not longer....    

Nope, we're all still here!  Hope everyone's Solstice was grand!

[Front-Ranger]

Old Farmers Almanac predicts that there will be record-breaking snow this year...gasp! Also, the winter solstice comes the earliest of any year since 1896. It will occur at 10:11 am Mountain Time. Drop everything and celebrate!

http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-winter-winter-solstice

[Jeff Wrangler]

Old Farmers Almanac predicts that there will be record-breaking snow this year...gasp! Also, the winter solstice comes the earliest of any year since 1896. It will occur at 10:11 am Mountain Time. Drop everything and celebrate!

http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-winter-winter-solstice

On Saturday, December 21.

(Be careful of that link. I didn't even have time to read the entire almanac page when it launched a whole bunch of ads.  )

[Penthesilea]

As usual, I can't wait for winter solstice!
Especially today, since we have awful weather. You need the lights switched on inside all day, it's dark and grey so the daylight is very dim. I hate days when it looks like it doesn't even get light outside.

[serious crayons]

As usual, I can't wait for winter solstice!
Especially today, since we have awful weather. You need the lights switched on inside all day, it's dark and grey so the daylight is very dim. I hate days when it looks like it doesn't even get light outside.

Same here today. Cold, cloudy, a bit snowy, and the second-to-shortest day of the year. Ugghhh.

You know, it's a lot easier to take cold or snow or short daylight or cloudy weather if they don't all come at once. The sun helps a cold day, warmth helps a cloudy day, dry streets helps days of either kind, as does emerging from work to find it's still light out.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I would like to understand why we have such an urge to celebrate when the daylight is at its shortest in the entire year. It's got to be something from very deep in the history of humankind, or at least humankind in the Northern Hemisphere. I really don't know about the Southern Hemisphere. 

I think I can understand celebrating the summer solstice, when the daylight is longest, but why when it's shortest?

[Penthesilea]

I would like to understand why we have such an urge to celebrate when the daylight is at its shortest in the entire year. It's got to be something from very deep in the history of humankind, or at least humankind in the Northern Hemisphere. I really don't know about the Southern Hemisphere. 

I think I can understand celebrating the summer solstice, when the daylight is longest, but why when it's shortest?

Out of pure relief. Relief that we have the worst part behind us. Days are getting longer again! This is a very joyous thought in the middle of dark days with shitty weather.

[Penthesilea]

Same here today. Cold, cloudy, a bit snowy, and the second-to-shortest day of the year. Ugghhh.

You know, it's a lot easier to take cold or snow or short daylight or cloudy weather if they don't all come at once. The sun helps a cold day, warmth helps a cloudy day, dry streets helps days of either kind, as does emerging from work to find it's still light out.

Yes, yes and yes. My overseas-twin.

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=179

"December Solstice (Winter Solstice) is on Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 12:11 PM in New York."

Just slightly less than 24 hours to go. (I'm posting this at 12:34PM in New York.) I cannot wait.  So glad the sun is swinging back our way!