Winter Solstice Links

I had a request to talk a bit about the winter solstice, so here we go! I've found lots of links.

First things first: good old Wikipedia's article about it. It seems the winter solstice can refer to "when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane as the observer," the day of or night before the solstice, or the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. The article outlines several cultures' winter solstice celebrations, including Christmas. Historically these festivals feature food and companionship, welcome breaks from the inactivity and hardship of winter.

This site has quizzes, activities, and fact lists.

Some more sciency stuff.

National Geographic article.

Instructions for making a solstice wish candle.

Solstice crafts, including a Yule log.

A link with recipes and more history.

I hope this is a decent introduction--I didn't know much about the solstice other than knowing it was the basis for winter holidays, and it was fun to read about where so many traditions originate.

Anything you want to add?