The sun starts setting later in the year right after the winter solstice, but the exact date depends on where you live and can be a bit earlier than the solstice itself in many places. In mid‑northern latitudes, sunset times usually begin to creep later in mid‑ to late December, even though the shortest day is around December 21.

Why it doesn’t change exactly on the solstice

  • The winter solstice is the day with the least total daylight, not necessarily the earliest sunset.
  • Around the solstice, the earliest sunset generally happens a week or so before December 21, while the latest sunrise happens a bit after , making the day length shortest right at the solstice.

What’s going on astronomically

  • Days are based on clock time (24 hours), but the actual “solar day” varies slightly because Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle and its axis is tilted.
  • This mismatch shifts sunrise and sunset times so that, near winter, afternoons start getting a little lighter before mornings do, giving the feeling that “the sun is finally setting later” while mornings still feel dark.

Rough rule of thumb for you

  • Northern Hemisphere:
    • Earliest sunset: usually in early to mid December.
* Sun starts setting later: a few days after that, often around mid‑December, even though the shortest day is still around December 21.
  • Southern Hemisphere (seasons flipped):
    • Earliest sunset: usually in early to mid June.
* Sun starts setting later: shortly after that, around mid‑June.

If you share your city or latitude, a location‑specific date range can be estimated more precisely.