Welcome to the dark side.
The winter solstice will fall in the late night hours between December 21 and 22, marking the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
The solstice occurs when the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is at its farthest from the sun, and marks the start of the coldest three months.
Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, Dec. 21 marks the official beginning of astronomical summer - and the longest day of the year.
The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'Sun standing still'.