Though winter may have officially arrived, those of us in Minnesota have already broken out the winter coats and accessories, long before this day. Being that this is the darkest day of the year, shedding some light is in store! We re-visited the topic, from Friday, with Nishad.

Reason for the Seasons
The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. It is because of this tilt, that the Northern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer).

Longest Night of the Year
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and –stitium, “a stoppage.” From this point on, after the solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

We began our morning celebration by making a crafty snowman to replace “Turkey Hiding in the Grass” artwork, proudly displayed above Nishad and Arun’s table. It’s going to be so much having Nishad around in the mornings. I plan on being very selfish and savoring this special time with my boys! Oh the places we will go, the things we will do…the fun we will have, the memories we will create! (Yes, a little bit of Seuss in me today!)

Ashish has off Wednesday through Friday as his work is closed- but the nature of his work never stops. 🙂 He never uses vacation time at this time of the year because it’s so slow, low-key…and well, we’d rather go someplace warm when we use those days! With four or five weeks of PTO per year and several winter months in Minnesota, one has to use those days wisely!