December 21–27

The seasonal lag

Winter, which usually arrives on or about December 22, never seems to be appropriately on time, no matter where you live. In the southern realms of the Northern Hemisphere, the first day of winter can be quite mild, even tropical, while in the north, cold air has been infiltrating since late September and several inches of snow may already be on the ground. Depending on where you live, you are either surprised that winter has snuck up on you or incensed that someone would make a big deal about the season's entrance long after its arrival.

Those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere may well take heart in the first day of winter, for it means that the Sun has reached its most southerly extreme — it's summertime in the Southern Hemisphere — and will soon be heading back toward the north, bringing with it more direct light and longer days. In fact, by late January, and definitely by mid-February, you can tell that it doesn t get dark quite as early as it did in mid-November and December.

Even as the Sun halts its southerly advance and begins its slow return to the north, the coldest days still lie ahead for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Granted, with daylight saving time not in effect during the autumn and winter months, the days seem that much more abbreviated, but still by December 22 the Sun sets around 5 o'clock and it is dark by 6 o'clock.