Winter solstice was the time when the hours of daylight were the shortest, and would soon increase. On the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, it was celebrated December 21st. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend [+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"], AUDIO: The Stuff of Nightmares [+]Loading...["The Stuff of Nightmares (BBC audio story)"]) Associated with Christmas, it was celebrated on a planet controlled by the Sardick family in the 44th century, and was known as the Crystal Feast. The Eleventh Doctor and Kazran Sardick both called this a celebration of being "halfway out of the dark". (TV: A Christmas Carol [+]Loading...["A Christmas Carol (TV story)"])
On 25 December, a newsreader reported that British government sources anticipating the Sycorax invasion of Earth were are calling it "our longest night". (TV: The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"])
Persis' planet celebrated something similar on the winter solstice, called the Deepest Dark. Families gathered every year and celebrated with a feast, which usually included food, drink and arguments. (AUDIO: Mighty and Despair [+]Loading...["Mighty and Despair (audio story)"])