Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, more specifically for people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. The winter solstice occurs the moment the North Pole is tilted the furthest away from the Sun – 23.5 degrees, to be precise.

It begins with Pagan's Yule celebration and falls on Dec. 21 or 22 depending on the exact location of the Earth. This year's solstice will occur at approximately 5.02 a.m. EST, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The most prominent place to celebrate this occasion is at Stonehenge, which is aligned to the sunset on winter solstice. Even though this year the winter solstice celebrations have been canceled at Stonehenge due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you can still watch it live from your home.

Here are some quotes, courtesy Brainy Quote, to mark this day.

1. “He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.” — John Burroughs

2. “Winter blues are cured every time with a potato gratin paired with a roast chicken.” — Alexandra Guarnaschelli

3. “The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” — Gary Zukav

4. “It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” — John Burroughs

5. “Of all the seasons, winter is the most conducive to the great art of dormancy. This art requires an appreciation of semi-consciousness: the beautiful and necessary prelude to sleep - a special pleasure in itself that is all too often neglected, under-valued or looked down upon.” — Michael Leunig

6. “I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn't show.” — Andrew Wyeth

7. “The spring, summer, is quite a hectic time for people in their lives, but then it comes to autumn, and to winter, and you can't but help think back to the year that was, and then hopefully looking forward to the year that is approaching.” — Enya

8. “In winter, the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted simplicity. Summer is more wooing and seductive, more versatile and human, appeals to the affections and the sentiments, and fosters inquiry and the art impulse.” — John Burroughs

9. "The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" — J.B. Priestley

10. “My favorite holiday memory was sitting at home all day in my pajamas during winter break for school watching a bunch of old Christmas movies like 'Jack Frost' and 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' with my siblings and parents.” — Becky G

stonehenge winter solstice
Stonehenge is a popular destination for those looking to celebrate the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the day of the year that officially marks the start of winter. Vicky WJ/Flickr