5 Great Things About Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice (for those in the Northern Hemisphere) occurred today at 5:44 AM. This is the moment when our planet Earth, which rotates on a tilted axis, achieved its most extreme position relative to the sun, creating a change of season, and the the day with the least amount of sunlight. It’s the beginning of winter.
It's the beginning of winter. The days are now going to provide more sunlight. Irony? Science? Both.
Here are several reasons to think positive thoughts about Winter Solstice:
CELEBRATE!
Humans from nearly every culture and religion have found a way to mark this time period through religious and cultural rituals, ceremonies, and monuments. Going back millennia, Winter Solstice has been the springboard for Christmas, Saturnalia (I love saying that out loud), New Year Celebrations, Hanukkah, Dongzhi, and numerous others.
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is the ‘sunshine’ vitamin. You can get this essential nutrient by eating salmon and other oily fish, egg yolks, and milk products fortified by vitamin D. But 15 minutes of sunshine on your face and hands a day really does the trick for most people. From today onward until the next solstice, our opportunity for Vitamin D steadily increases. Soak it in!
DAYS WITH MORE DAYLIGHT
Whatever you do outside, you’ll have more minutes and hours of daylight to enjoy doing it. For those of us that go to work in darkness, stay indoors all day, and go home in darkness, the “turn of the sun” brings relief.
IT’S WINTER!
Sure skiers, snowmobilers, and ice skaters all love winter. So do snowman builders, hot chocolate drinkers, and people that just don’t like to be hot all the time. You don’t have to be involved in winter sports to enjoy winter.
THE SUN
The giver of life. It nourishes us, and provides the means for growing our food, forests, and really, all life on Earth.
That’s worth celebrating.
Skyclock, the sun calculator, helps you keep track of the daylight, twilight, and nighttime hours.
