Ecobirder

Each winter the days grow shorter in the Northern Hemisphere because of the tilt of the earth. The shortest day of the year is a week or two before the Winter Solstice, December 21, depending on where in the Northern Hemisphere that you are. The short days along with the cold, snow, and frequently gray skies can make winter sort of depressing.

Fortunately most of the shortest days of the year occur during the holiday season and around here many people like to decorate their homes and trees with lights for the holidays. In a way it helps to light up the darkness so that those long dark nights of winter do not seem so dark. Fortunately at this point the days are already getting longer so by the time the holidays are over and the lights have come down it is already time to start looking forward to spring.