Today, December 21, 2020, is the first day of winter. It is also known as the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The Winter Solstice can occur on December 20, 21, 22, or 23, although solstices on the 20th and the 23rd are unusual. The exact length of the day depends on the latitude of any given area.

Now a lot of people think that we don’t really have winter here in Florida, but while we aren’t under feet and feet of snow like many folks are, in north central Florida, we do get cold weather, and even frost. This year, we have actually had two frosts already, which is unusually early. We are also scheduled to have another frost on Christmas Eve night and Christmas night! I honestly don’t remember when the last time was that we had cool weather in Florida for Christmas. Most of the time in this area we go to Christmas dinner in shorts.

The recent cold snaps have provided some interesting opportunities for taking photos, too. Because the first frosts have been so early this year, there have been some vegetation, plant seeds, and plant leaves that would normally have been long gone by the time of the first frost. I’m not sure how this will affect our springtime vegetation, but time will tell. In the mean time, enjoy some images of what winter looks like in the central Florida woods. And enjoy celebrating the first day of winter!