Winter solstice, or shortest day, varies a bit from year to year. Mother Earth decides. Yule, winter-solstice, is resurrection of sun-gods.
So peaceful.
Some celebrate our Holy Season by overeating, and spending money, and all stress and hurry.  I prefer peacefulness.

Baldur, as all sun-gods, goes to Hel, Helia, at every yule, and is resurrected.
Hermóður (Her-móður, or Herm-óður, different meanings) rides to Hel to resurrect his beloved Baldur.
–On pix: Drawing from old manuscript; detail says: Baldur hinn góði (/the good) – and note the sun there.–

We have a peaceful höfuðblót (main-blót) at yule.
The gift of light (–days grow longer–) to come after winter-solstice, is the greatest present to get at yule.

We can see, in Iceland, shortest day on the southern sky, and we see the longest day (summer-solstice) on the northern sky in June.
Other way round south of equator, of course.

There are ancient summer-solstice caves, in Ireland, and in Iceland for example, that indicate the importance of knowing the cycles of Mother Earth.

Yule blót of Ásatrúarfélag 2014