Rushing through the contractions of the solstice

I’m seriously overwhelmed by last minute Christmas stuff, and while it’s my own fault, there won’t be much time for blogging until later today.
On the bright side, at least it’s the shortest day of the year.
The solstice will occur tonight at 1:08 a.m. EST. 11:08 p.m. in Utah. And if I’m lucky, I won’t turn into a shriveled pumpkin like the one on my front porch.

Expresses my mood perfectly!
UPDATE: Er, maybe that should be a flashback. Anyway, Tim Maguire wanted a “before” picture, and I’m happy to oblige: