Today is the Winter Solstice--the longest night of the year.
I'm looking forward to the prospect of a little more daylight in my day. 
With only about 9 hours of daylight here in the Philadelphia area, I'm doing better than my cousin in Alaska. But it still gets dark early enough that if I tell my kids that they have to come in from playing "when the streetlights turn on," they're barely off the school bus before playtime is over.
Increased daylight means more time for kids to play--and even on cold days, parents know that kids need a chance to run around outside and be active. Whether that's shooting baskets in the driveway or having a snowball fight, it's good to get out. But either way, you need to be able to see your target.
So after today, the night wind will have a little less time each day to blow. In my book, that's a beautiful thing.
COUPON TIME
Didn't make it to Stonehenge this year to see the Winter Solstice in style? We've got deals on plenty of other trips that might strike your fancy.
Save $40 on a 3+ night hotel stay at Orbitz 
Use promotion code AFFORB40.
Valid through: December 31, 2009
See other Orbitz coupons!
TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!
Save $20 on a hotel stay of 2 or more nights booked on Hotels.com 
Enter coupon code Holiday20 at checkout.
Valid through: December 22, 2009
Excludes Las Vegas. Travel by January 31, 2010.
See other hotels.com coupon codes!
Plenty of great holiday travel deals are still available!
