Earth is closest to the sun in early January when it's winter for the Northern Hemisphere. Earth is farthest from the sun in early July when it's summer for the Northern Hemisphere. When is the gravitational pull between the Earth and the sun the greatest
Think of it as a funnel, if you were to stick a marble on the far end it isn't getting pulled to the center as much as a marble being placed closer to the outlet of the funnel.
