The lightening days of winter are here

Laura Young ECB Publishing, Inc. Yesterday, Dec. 21, was the shortest day (and longest night) of this year for us, as well as the other six billion people who live north of the Earth's equator. Aaahh – it's the Winter Solstice! That's the moment in our tilted spinning planet's orbit when days in the Northern Hemisphere began to lengthen. For thousands of years, people on Earth have recognized the significance of solstices with celebrations, special food, traditions and folklore. One ancient legend that appears in many cultures tells how the Deer Mother took flight on the longest, darkest night of the year carrying the sun's life-giving light safely in her antlers into the new year, pu