10 Things I Know About the First Day of Winter (Today) in MN

Today is officially the first day of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere (woo hoo), or as we call it here in Minnesota, a slushy December 21st. It has little to do with what we call 'winter' in Minnesota, and more about planets and the sun; but here's are ten things I do know:

1. It's also known as the Winter Solstice.
2. Today is the shortest day of the year (about 8 and a half hours of daylight in St. Cloud).
3. Beginning tomorrow, days start getting longer. (OMG, we'll have about an extra minute of daylight by Christmas).
4. My dad & I are looking at the Twins website to figure how many days are left until opening day (thinking they'll be much better this year). :)
5. With Christmas just four days away, family members start asking if I'm interested in attending midnight service with them. (In case we're family some day, 'no.')
6. In six months the days will start getting shorter again.
7. Almost ready to start Christmas shopping.
8. You're supposed to be able to stand a raw egg on end, and I did (but I've also heard that you can do it any day of the year). I'll try it again in February.
9. Last weekend (Fall) it was -25˚. This weekend (Winter) it could be 30˚ with an inch of rain.
10. The Vikings are typically eliminated from playoff contention by now.