My husband, we will call him Pete because that’s his name, is obsessed with a little game we call “guess how many hours of daylight there is today?” He takes great joy in all of us guessing, and if we had been paying attention the day before when we played this game and depending on what time of the year it is, we probably could have come close to getting the answer correct. But this little game is more of him just talking into thin air and the rest of us saying, um, yeah and okay. We basically ignore him.
When December 21st rolled around, he was a little more excited than normal about playing the game. Now I thought it was because of course, it was shortgirl appreciation day. I was ready for him to shower me with gifts and sing the praises of my being a shortgirl, but no that wasn’t it at all. It was the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. He announced that yes it was the shortest day of the year, but the thing that he liked most about December 21st is that now the days start getting longer, Yay! When you live in Western New York you get a lot of grey days, especially in the winter months. (Technically it’s only “winter” from December 21st-March 19th in Buffalo, but it’s more like October through April, maybe May) Sunshine and daylight are scarce and snow is typically abundant. In the summer months with daylight savings time, and how far west we are in our time zone the daylight can last until after 9 pm. Oh, how we love those summer nights!
For the record, there was 9 hours, 1 minute and 3 seconds of daylight on December 21, 2019, the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, most importantly known as Shortgirl Appreciation Day! I can’t believe that his obsession with the hours of daylight (or lack thereof) cast a shadow on my most important day. It wasn’t that I was expecting some grand celebration or anything, maybe a cupcake, possibly flowers or practical gifts like a new stepstool or better yet a snow brush with an extra-long handle so I can actually reach the car (it is after all winter now).
So as the days get longer remember that shortgirls always have the right perspective, we are always looking up, no matter how short or long the daylight. Happy New Year! Short but mighty, shortgirls rule!