Winter Solstice Festival 冬至

Many people think that Dong Zhi  冬至 means the arrival of winter. In fact what it really means is that after this day, the sunshine will decline. In the nothern hemisphere, the day is the shortest during Dong Zhi. In the southern hemisphere, it is the reverse. (Asiapac, 2008).

As told by Asiapac (2008):

During the New Year everybody would make visit. In olden times, during Dong Zhi the people would also make visits. Some people would offer incense at dawn and some businesses would take a break on that day. People would feast and the atmosphere was just like the New Year. In China, because the onset of winter was cold and medicaql science was not advanced, at this time of the year mant people froze to death. As a result, on this day people would gather together to eat Tangyuan 汤圆(glutinous flour balls ) Yuan圆 (round) is associated with Tuan 团(reunion) and Yuan 圆(complete). Eating Tangyuan is therefore symbolic of family unity and harmony (p. 151).

References
Asiapac Culture (2008). Origins of chinese festivals. (5th ed.). Singapore: Asiapac Books Pte Ltd.

Whenever this festival arrives, it is telling me that it is almost the end of the year, my close friend LY's birthday falls on this day! Each time, I eat the Tangyuan, my granny will tell me, 吃汤圆，长一岁。 So I am a year older. Traditionally, the Chinese prefers to grow up faster and older!!!!

I may enjoy eating Tangyuan, I enjoy the process of  making of traditional Tangyuan (Without fillings) even more!
 Here is how my grandma does it:

The Tangyuan may look quite cute; some big and some small. My granny call it "子孙汤圆"
The big ones represent the elders, and the small ones represent the younger ones.