The Last Month Of The Year Features 2 New Moons & Lots Of Retrogrades—Here's Your Horoscope

Ready to wrap up the year with a giant velvet bow? Your December 2024 horoscope features not one but two fresh-start-serving new moons, appearing as December’s intro and outro: a Sagittarius new moon on December 1 and a Capricorn new moon on December 30.

Fun fact: a month with two full moons is called a "blue moon," and one with a double shot of new moons is called a "black moon." The bonus new moon right before NYE brings a burst of speed to help you crush year-end goals or get an early start on your 2025 resolutions.

Turns out, you may need it. Both mobile Mercury and fast-acting Mars will have retrograde cycles this December, which could cause untimely delays.

Opening your December 2024 horoscope is the year's only new moon in visionary Sagittarius, on December 1 (1:21 AM EST; 9º33').

The first of two new moons this month, the Sagittarius new moon nudges you beyond the confines of your comfort zone. But look both ways before you leap!

Both Mercury and Mars have retrograde cycles in December.

Mercury retrograde extends till December 15, the last Mercury retrograde cycle of the year that began on November 25 (right before Thanksgiving in the U.S.). When you add the two weeks of retroshade (the shadow period), the balance is your entire 2024 holiday season tinted by Mercury's backspin.

With this Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius (and during Sagittarius season), remember that this sign does not hold back opinions and feelings. So be careful around those holiday tables. Ground rules can be stated, but it might be tough to keep them in place (especially in the post-U.S. election climate).

Passionate Mars turns retrograde on December 6, backing through lavish Leo until Jan 6, 2025, then slipping back to comfort-loving Cancer for the remainder of its retrograde, which lasts until February 23, 2025.

While the holiday season is in peak swing, go easy on the overpriced bottle service, lazy Lyft rides, and buying nonessentials on credit. You don't have to deny yourself; just think long and hard before you green-light tempting purchases.

Friendly fire? Love planet Venus will spend the rest of the year in Aquarius starting December 7. With the cosmic coquette in the sign of casual connections and unconventional relationships, the atmosphere isn’t exactly drenched in traditional romance, but there’s plenty of lighthearted fun to be had.

For the second time in 2024, you can celebrate the universal love of friendship and community (Venus visited Aquarius from February 16 to March 9). A mutual contact could play matchmaker, and online connections will ignite with vixen Venus in this tech-savvy sign.

For couples, this period can spark honest dialogue about the way you envision a happy union. Drift as far from the standard playbook as you want. From an open relationship to living separately to pursuing adoption, no topic is taboo!

What’s next? For the past few months, that question has required deep contemplation, which hasn’t necessarily yielded much clarity. But after December 7, answers start coming into focus as tuned-in Neptune ends a long retrograde on its home turf of dreamy Pisces that began on July 2.

The final full moon of 2024 lands in loquacious Gemini on December 15 (at 4:02AM EST; 23º53'), urging you to articulate your wishes and dreams. People can’t read your mind, so if you want something, speak up!

Since La Luna is in a confusing 90-degree square to Neptune—further complicated by the tail end of Mercury retrograde—you might need to explain yourself a few times over. Post about your passions and share your original views. With the full moon in this kindred-spirit sign, you never know who might be moved by your message and respond.

The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere (December 21) belongs to the longest-suffering sign of Capricorn, the tireless Sea Goat who persists against all odds! On the winter solstice, we welcome the start of Capricorn season (at 4:21AM EST). For the next four weeks, take a pragmatic and humble approach to all you do.

Goal-setter Capricorn loves an ambitious plan and a solid system. Write down where you’d like to be a year from now and reverse-engineer a master map that will get you there, one discerning step at a time.

Stop playing martyr and stand up for yourself! You’ll get a confidence boost as healing comet Chiron rockets forward in firestarter Aries, ending a retrograde on December 29 that started on July 26.

Just beware the temptation to blow up if you feel a surge of suppressed resentment. While Chiron wheeled backward through Aries, passive-aggressive barbs and sneering put-downs may have been people’s best defense.

The December 30 new moon in Capricorn (5:27 PM EST; 9º44’) is a bonus second new moon this month. It brings a burst of speed to help you crush end-of-year goals or get an early start on your 2025 resolutions.

We realize it’s the 11th hour and you have soirées to attend. That’s more reason to stay nimble and pivot if a better strategy presents itself. Efficiency is the name of the game, but you know what’s not? Wearing struggle like a merit badge. What can you delegate and outsource to get the job done?

While you’re coordinating transportation to all of your NYE events, try visualizing where you’d like your career to be six months from now. Can’t-stop-won’t-stop Capricorn loves the hustle, but this new moon helps you radar in on work that’s worthy of your time and energy. Want to pull off a grandiose plan? Create structure and systems. That’s how this cardinal earth-sign energy supports growth!