If you’ve got outdoor plans this weekend, you’ll want to set an early alarm. This Sunday, December 21st, NYC will ring in the start of a new season with the winter solstice–aka the official beginning of astronomical winter–and the shortest day of the year.
Humans have been celebrating the winter solstice for thousands of years. According to the History Channel, some observances date back to the Neolithic period, around 10,200 B.C.
Today, cultures worldwide still go all out to welcome the season. Fun fact: the solstice marks astronomical winter, which is different from meteorological winter, which starts about three weeks earlier.
Don’t blink, though–the solstice itself only lasts a split second.
The Farmer’s Almanac explains that it’s the precise moment the Northern Hemisphere tilts farthest from the Sun, which in 2025 occurs at 10:03 am. This tilt is also why it’s the darkest day of the year, with the longest night stretching ahead.
In NYC, sunrise is at 7:16 am and sunset is at 4:31 pm on Sunday, giving us just nine hours and 15 minutes of daylight. Pretty depressing if you ask us.
But if you’re planning to be outside, there’s a silver lining: AccuWeather predicts a partially sunny day with a high of 48º, so it won’t feel too frosty compared to the day before.
☀️ The Good News: It Only Gets Brighter From Here!
The best part? Reaching the winter solstice means the days will slowly start to grow longer again until we hit the summer solstice (the longest day of the year) on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
So while this may be the time to hibernate, don’t fall too deep into those winter blues–brighter days will soon be on the horizon.