Full Moon December 2026: The Cold Moon, Date, Time and Yule Meaning
The full moon of December 2026 is the Cold Moon, and it is full at 01:28 UTC on 24 December. In the US the clocks are still on the 23rd: that is 8:28 p.m. EST on Wednesday 23 December, 7:28 p.m. CST, 6:28 p.m. MST and 5:28 p.m. PST. So for almost everyone in the country the moon turns full during the evening of 23 December, the night before Christmas Eve, while it is already up in the sky.
It is the last full moon of 2026, and it arrives two days after the winter solstice of 21 December. That places it squarely inside Yule. For many practitioners it becomes the moonlit night of the festival, the one evening of the twelve when the longest nights are lit from above.
Why it is called the Cold Moon
Cold Moon is the name most North American almanacs give the December full moon, and it needs little explanation. By late December the ground is frozen across most of the northern states and the real cold of winter has set in. The other common name is the Long Night Moon, and that one carries a piece of real astronomy.
A full moon sits opposite the sun in the sky. In December the sun is at its lowest and spends the least time above the horizon, so the full moon does the reverse: it rides at its highest and stays up for the longest. At the latitude of New York or Denver the December full moon is above the horizon for around fifteen hours, rising before sunset and setting after sunrise. The longest nights of the year get the longest-lasting moon. Our guide to full moon names month by month covers the rest of the calendar and where the names come from.
The December 2026 moon calendar
Candles for the Long Night Moon
| Event | Date | Time (US Eastern) |
|---|---|---|
| Winter solstice | 21 December | 3:50 p.m. EST |
| Full moon (Cold Moon) | 23 December | 8:28 p.m. EST |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | waning gibbous moon |
| Next full moon (Wolf Moon) | 22 January 2027 | 7:17 a.m. EST |
On the solstice itself the moon is waxing gibbous, two days short of full, and it will already be bright in the early evening sky. The run of moonlit nights covers the whole heart of the holiday week.
The Cold Moon and Yule
Yule begins at the solstice, when the sun reaches its lowest point and begins, very slowly, to return. Many traditions keep twelve nights from there, and our guide to Yule 2026 dates and the twelve days sets them out. The Cold Moon falls on the third of those nights.
That gives it a particular job. The solstice is about the sun: the vigil through the longest night, the candle lit at dawn. The Cold Moon is the counterweight. Where the solstice celebrates the light coming back, the Cold Moon honours the dark that is still here, and asks what it has to offer before it goes. Rest, quiet, the inward half of the year. In a season that runs at full volume, that is a useful thing to be reminded of.
What the Cold Moon is for
Reflection on the year
As the last full moon of 2026, the Cold Moon is the natural night to look back over the whole year. Go month by month if you keep a journal; our moon phase journaling guide shows one way to lay it out.
Release
Choose what you are not taking into 2027 and put it down here, before the new year. Writing it out and burning it is traditional. So is saying it aloud outside in the cold, which tends to keep the speech short.
Rest
The Long Night Moon gives permission to stop. If the only magic you do this week is go to bed early on the 23rd with the curtains open, that is a reasonable use of it.
Household blessing
With family gathering, many practitioners use this moon to bless the house and the table. A sprig of evergreen over the door and a bowl of salt water at the threshold is enough.
A simple Cold Moon ritual for Yule
On the evening of 23 December, once the moon is up, turn off the electric lights in one room. Light a single candle. A Moon tarot candle or a High Priestess candle suits the night, but a plain white taper is just as good. Set a small dish of water beside it so the flame and the moon can both be seen in it.
Sit with the candle for a few minutes. Say aloud three things the dark half of the year has given you since Samhain: sleep, time indoors, a slower month, a lesson. Then say one thing you are leaving in 2026. Pour the water outside under the moon when you are done. Leave the candle to burn down safely, or snuff it and relight it each night through the twelve days.
For more on candles in this season, our guide to Yule candle magic covers colours and the solstice vigil, and setting up a Yule altar is a good companion task for the same evening.
Watching and photographing it
The Cold Moon is up all evening on the 23rd. On the West Coast it turns full within an hour or so of moonrise; in the East it is already well clear of the horizon. Because it rides so high, it is one of the brightest full moons of the year, and on snow it can light a garden well enough to walk in. For a photograph, use the first half hour after moonrise when there is something on the horizon to frame it against. Higher up it is dazzling but flat.
It is also the closest full moon of 2026: about 356,800 km (221,700 miles) from Earth, which makes it a supermoon and the biggest-looking full moon of the year. There is no eclipse.
Traditional correspondences
Modern practitioners work the Cold Moon with white, silver and deep blue, and with the evergreens of Yule: pine, holly and fir. Common stones are clear quartz, selenite and moonstone. These are modern conventions rather than ancient lore. Our guide to moon phases and crystals has more, and a sun and moon goddess glass ornament on the tree marks the meeting of the solstice and the full moon in the same week.
One piece for the Yule tree
Frequently Asked Questions About the December 2026 Full Moon
When is the full moon in December 2026?
It is full at 01:28 UTC on 24 December 2026, which in the US is the evening of 23 December: 8:28 p.m. EST, 7:28 p.m. CST, 6:28 p.m. MST and 5:28 p.m. PST.
Is the Cold Moon on Christmas Eve?
Not in the US. It turns full on the evening of 23 December across all US time zones. In Europe and further east it is already 24 December.
Is the December 2026 full moon a supermoon?
Yes. At about 356,800 km (221,700 miles) away it is the closest full moon of 2026. There is no eclipse. It is also the last full moon of the year.
How long after the solstice is the Cold Moon?
Two days. The winter solstice is at 3:50 p.m. EST on 21 December 2026, and the moon is full a little over two days later.
Light one candle on the 23rd, name what the dark gave you, and let the last full moon of 2026 close the year quietly. The sun is already on its way back.
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