Winter Thoughts

We are fast approaching the shortest day of the year.  Oh, the darkness.

It's strange to me that winter is just starting, but the days will soon be getting longer.

It's also always been strange to me that around December 7th, the sun starts setting later in the evening, even though the days are getting shorter.  At least at my latitude it does.

I've searched for explanations, like this, but I can't say that I definitely get it.  Something to do with the later sunrise and solar noon and there not being truly exactly 24 hours in a day. 

And for that matter, the sun rises later and later until the first week of January or so.  Strange stuff.  Even though the days have already started getting longer.

Anyway, the darkness of late afternoon makes me remember listening to Christmas Carols and thinking of Santa visiting soon when I was wee.

Probably the earliest memory I have, at least of Christmas, is of hearing this song, minus the video, on what must have been an LP.

I went a few decades between hearings of it, but I unexpectedly heard it again 10 years ago or so. Without the internet, I probably never would have discovered it again.

Unlike the following.  I like these wooden soldiers, too.  Not sure which is my favorite.