The Winter Solstice is almost upon us once again, taking place on Dec. 21, 2010. Regardless of your beliefs, this is surely a time to celebrate nature and life as winter officially begins.

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year, when the sun reaches the furthest point it ever gets away from Earth. It also marks the official start of winter, although the weather suggests winter is already with us.

It’s believed that the Winter Solstice is the origin of Christmas, at least in terms of the date. As pagans used to commemorate this day long before Christianity showed up. The pagans used to call it Yule, hence the Yuletide we still welcome.

Intriguingly, this year’s Winter Solstice coincides with a total lunar eclipse in North America. So that’s a second reason to celebrate this particular day. By eating and drinking too much.