When is the winter solstice? Everything you need to know about the shortest day of the year

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, but is it the coldest?  (Getty Images: Brook Mitchell)

The days are getting shorter and colder and afternoons spent soaking up the sun are well and truly behind us — especially in the southern states.

But if you think the mornings are dark and gloomy now, wait until we hit the winter solstice.