The most well-known name for the December full moon nowadays is the Cold Moon.
This moon rises just a few weeks before the winter solstice (Dec. 21), which is one of the coldest and darkest times of the year.
It is a Mohawk name that describes the frigid conditions of this time of year when cold weather truly begins to really grasp us.
In other terms, the Cold Moon name is used by the Mohawk people. This full moon occurs when the grip of winter cold tightens.
The name of this moon originates from the Mohawk tribe of what is now the northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada, according to the Maine Farmer's Almanac.
Maine Farmer's Almanac had begun publishing Native American names for moons in the 1930s.
Since then, this name become popular in mainstream coverage of the moon's phases.
The Moon names in The Old Farmer's Almanac have come from Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional sources passed down through generations.
Historically, many Native American peoples traditionally used the monthly Moons and the corresponding signs of nature as a calendar to track the seasons.
December’s full Moon will be above the horizon for longer than most full Moons because of its high trajectory in the sky.