Winter officially started two weeks ago with the winter solstice, but the lead-up to the season arguably begins in June. That’s when the summer solstice marks the day of the year with the longest span of daylight. After the summer solstice, the time between sunrise and sunset gets a little shorter each day, until we hit the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, in late December.
Extension: Winter coping strategies: Hibernation