As others have said - the days are shortest at this time of year. I live in southern England (Somerset) and we are on the same latitude as Calgary in Alberta.

As others have said - the days are shortest at this time of year. I live in southern England (Somerset) and we are on the same latitude as Calgary in Alberta. It's relatively warm here thanks to the Gulf Stream. Around 400-200 years ago there was a little ice age in Europe - https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56035590 https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56035590 the river Thames iced over several times to the point that fairs happened. Until recently, the only heating was a fire and then body heat in bed (we are warm blooded after all). You may have experienced a rural cottage, when its time for bed and the fire has run low. You go up to the bedroom. There's rime on the windows and you can see your breath. Your nose shuts down if you try to breath through it. A hot water bottle takes the edge off the cold in the bed. You shiver for quite a while. With luck, you are not alone ... This year, here, buds started breaking out on trees around 20 Dec 2023. Now, birds are displaying initial nesting behaviour. We have had the wettest, warmest winter for some time.