December's full moon — the cold moon of the long winter nights, near the solstice. The lore, why it rides so high, and how to see it.
The name comes from the simple fact that December brings the cold and the dark. Falling near the winter solstice — the longest nights — it was also called the Long Night Moon and the Moon Before Yule. Because it sits opposite the lowest Sun of the year, it climbs the highest and stays up the longest of any full moon.
The December full moon is the mirror image of June's: opposite the lowest winter Sun, it takes the highest arc of the year, riding nearly overhead and staying above the horizon for the longest stretch of any full moon. High and clear, it floods the long winter nights with bright silver light.
The 2026 Cold Moon reaches fullness in the small hours of December 24 — Christmas Eve (06:28 UTC; 1:28 AM EST, or 10:28 PM on the 23rd for the US west coast). A full moon landing on the 24th–25th is a genuinely uncommon treat — the last full moon on Christmas Day itself was in 2015, and after 2026 the calendar keeps them apart again for years. Whatever the weather does, the night sky contributes its own decoration: the Moon will be riding at its highest, whitest and longest of the entire year over every northern-hemisphere rooftop.
Arriving three days after the December 21 solstice, the Cold Moon is the annual extreme case of the seesaw that governs every full moon: opposite the year's lowest Sun, it takes the year's highest and longest lunar arc. At mid-northern latitudes it can stay above the horizon for over 15 hours, passing close to overhead near local midnight — which is why the old English name, the Long Night Moon, is the most literal in the whole almanac. The Moon Before Yule completes the set of names, tying December's moon to the midwinter feast that predates Christmas itself.
Get a closer look
A beginner telescope or good astronomy binoculars bring the Moon's craters and phases into stunning detail: the CELTICBIRD 70/700 refractor (about €140) or the Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 binoculars (about €130, 22,000+ reviews).
CELTICBIRD 70/700 telescope (~€140) → Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 (~€130) →As an Amazon Associate, Furiosa Studio earns from qualifying purchases.