H.P. Lovecraft plucks a crumb of comfort from the arrival of the solstice, and turning of the winter toward spring…

Though we must for months to come endure the rigours of inclement weather, we may find a consoling proof of the sun’s return in the increasing length of the days. Between the first of the month [of December] and the winter solstice the days lose 16 minutes, but from the 22nd to the 31st, a gain of five minutes is to be noted.