Where in the US is there only 7-8 hours of daylight at the beginning of winter?
Not counting Alaska, International Falls, MN has Sunrise at 8:00 AM and Sunset at 4:20 PM. CT has about an hour more. But these places are not Phoenix, and if it is overcast (often) it is actually pretty dark even within those hours. I grew up in Connecticut, and if you have a commute of any length or a bit of a walk from school (yes, I walked or rode a bike), you spent time in darkness.
Fargo ND has about 8-1/2 hours of daylight at the begining of winter. Its where child molesters go for a child molesting christmas vacation, the extra dark hours and all. /S - because too many people here dont have the equipment to handle veiled sarcasm