Winter Solstice

Having lived through most of December here in the UK, I think I have a better feeling now as to why the solstices played such an important role for the Druids and other early peoples around here. This past week when I look outside at noontime, the sun is literally only a third or so up into the sky, and it really does start to get dark around 3:45 in the afternoon. You really do notice which spots have a southern exposure and which do not-- it makes a huge difference when it comes to how quickly they will defrost in the morning. There is one school of thought among historical archeologists that Stonehenge was actually built mainly to mark the winter solstice, not the summer solstice, interestingly enough. It certainly seems like a more noticeable event to me (at least at the moment).