As you know, the winter solstice is a calculation, the one day per year, for each hemisphere, where the respective pole is furthest from the Sun. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but is acknowledging the shortest day of the year (in terms of sunlight) a pagan practice to you or others here? If so, it's not "pagan," it's practical. There are limitless tangible benefits to planning around such an event.

I'm not sure if I'd call it a "pagan ritual", but the fart-sniffing here needs some sort of name.