Use this sentence: Earth is closest to the sun in January when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
How is this possible?
1. The sun is smaller during the winter months.
2. The sun is heating the Northern Hemisphere more in winter, but it takes awhile for it to heat up..
3. It heats up to a higher temperature during the day, but it still ends up colder because the days are shorter.
4. The angle at which the sun strikes Earth is more important than the distance.