Winter is coming: Are you ready for the shortest day of the year?

Our winter coat may have been out of the closet for months now, but believe it or not, the season hasn't even started yet. 

But to quote "Game of Thrones"...winter is coming.

The first day of winter — also known as the winter solstice — is this Friday, Dec. 21 when winter will officially take over at 5:23 p.m.

So what does this mean exactly? Here's a breakdown of the basics below.

How does the winter solstice affect you?

The winter solstice signifies the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. That means there will only be 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight come Friday. 

And after December 21, the length of daylight will increase every day until June 21, 2019 — the longest day of the year and the first day of summer.

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Want to take advantage of the daylight? Here's what you need to know.

Sunrise on December 21:  7:25 a.m. in York County and surrounding areas 

Sunset on December 21: 4:45 p.m in York County and surrounding areas