shortest day
December's briefest daylight
The shortest day is the day with the fewest hours of daylight, occurring at the winter solstice—around December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 21 in the Southern.
Despite common assumption, it isn't necessarily the coldest day, as temperatures lag behind the solar cycle: The shortest day came and went, but the real cold arrived weeks later.
- winterYear's coldest quarter
- winter solsticeShortest day, longest night
- solsticeDay of maximum tilt
- DecemberYear's final month
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
darkness · night · sunlight · daylight · cold · frost · midwinter · twilight · dawn · dusk · early sunset · long shadows · shadows · gloom · hibernation · candles · firelight · cozy
- Solstice Festivalswinter solstice, summer solstice, midwinter, midsummer, longest night
shortest daylongest day
Maximum daylight occurrence
summer solstice · midsummer · June solstice · Midsummer · midnight sun
short, shorter, shortly, shortness, shorten, shortened, shortening, shortens, days