Well folks, today is officially the shortest day of the year. And that means, there’s less daylight than normal to pack in all of that holiday shopping. Unless of course, you see it as a glorious excuse to laze around in your PJ’s all day… but I digress.

And if you’re not sure what the winter solstice actually means, here’s a quick run down. The event officially marks not only the shortest day of the year but also the beginning of winter. According to Mirror Online,“The solstice itself is the moment the sun is shining farthest to the south, directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.”

The winter solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years and is considered an important pagan festival, filled with “rituals of rebirth.” Mirror Online reports that “every year revellers gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise on the shortest day.”

And most importantly, many of you (including myself) may not have realized that some of our holiday traditions – “including Yule logs, mistletoe and Christmas trees – have their roots in the pagan celebrations of winter solstice.” Who knew?

One thing’s for sure though – winter is officially here to stay. And that means many more future glistening winter scenes to come in Boston. But before your mind goes to that deep, dark place that is winter – check out the beautiful winter artwork found at the MFA. You can see them up close and personal at their galleries and on Pinterest.

Here’s some of their favorite winter artwork to welcome the winter solstice. We hope it makes your day merry and bright.

 

You can read more stories on Boston startups, technology and innovation at https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno