For those of you who don't know, today: December 21st, 2017--marks the shortest day of the year, being it's the winter solstice.

The winter solstice is a giant day of celebration for pagan ritual, but now a days it's simply known as the first day of winter!

According to a site called Vox:

Between September and March, Earth’s Northern Hemisphere gets less exposure to direct sunlight over the course of a day. The rest of the year, the north gets more direct sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere gets less. It’s the reason for the seasons:

So how much daylight will New Jersey see today before the darkness takes over-- aka how long do I have to be productive for before I'm bound to my couches and toasty fireplace?

Credit: Brian Brettschneider
Credit: Brian Brettschneider
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According to solstice guru Brian Brettschneider, it looks like New Jersey will see about 9-9.5 hours.... which is pretty much what we see everyday anyway from our usual sunshine taking charge from 7am -4:30pm.

So do not fear! The first day of winter is HERE, but it's only looking up! From this day forward, say hello to longer days and more daylight! (slowly but surely)

Check out this awesome video of the winter solstice in Alaska which barely sees any sunshine on this day:

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