Those of you with enough patience to have been following my words and images here for awhile may recall that I have a thing for the solstice, both winter and summer.

And today’s the day, my friends, when we here in the Northern Hemisphere have the Earth’s tilt that takes us furthest away from that big ball of energy in the sky. Yes, Dec. 21 is our Winter Solstice. We don’t have a lot of daylight hours.

The stats, from The Syracuse Post-Standard.

There’s the proof.

So I wondered what it would look like when the sun came up and went down for my dear wife Karen and I’s first go-round for this part of the spin cycle at Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville.

I went out the back door as soon as I woke up on Tuesday, Dec. 20, around 6:30 a.m., and aimed my iPhone 6s to the east.

Getting ready for its entrance.

The sun will come up right over our covered in ground pool soon.

Moon shot.

Just to the right, I noticed that the moon was still holding strong.

I went about my business the rest of the day, but was home in time to point said iPhone 6s to the west shortly after 4 p.m.

All aglow on Dec. 20, 2016.

This, I think, was one spectacular show of color the night before the Winter Solstice.

Bravo, Mother Nature. Bravissimo.

And now I can start looking for more daylight each day. Most excellent. That’s my favorite part of the Winter Solstice.

What’s your favorite thing about Dec. 21, and why? What’s your favorite day of the year, and why? Which is your favorite photo, and why?