The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EVENINGS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
V
E
N
I
N
G
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Daily stretches we get into earlier in the winter" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case daily stretches we get into earlier in the winter = evenings.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EVENINGS mean?
EVENINGS noun- The time of the day between dusk and night, when it gets dark.
- The time of the day between the approximate time of midwinter dusk and midnight (compare afternoon); the period after the end of regular office working hours.
- A concluding time period; a point in time near the end of something; the beginning of the end of something.
- A party or gathering held in the evening.
- (somewhat dated) In the evening, during the evening.