Cold Moon 2025

 Thursday, December 4, 2025

Another chilly day in Quartzsite the last time I checked the temperature we were on our way out to Roadrunner to enjoy Happy Hour with Kim and Ken. It said the temperature was 63 degrees but with the breeze even in the sun it did not feel that warm. Though we did manage to muddle through a couple hours of sitting, chatting, and possibly a couple of adult beverages. What would be nice to add next to this blog would be a picture of the group. But that would mean I remembered to take one which by now you have  probably guessed I did not.

Then I almost caught the sun slipping behind the Dome Rock Mountains.

Sitting back down we noticed the moon rising over the mountains across the way and I did manage to get several pictures of that.

Some interesting tidbits about the moon we call The Full Cold Moon. At least I thought they were interesting.

The Moon names we use in The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from centuries of Native American, colonial, and European traditions. December’s Full Moon is most commonly called the Cold Moon (Mohawk), reflecting the frigid season. 

It is also known as the Long Night Moon (Mohican) because it rises during the longest nights of the year, near the winter solstice, and remains above the horizon for an extended period.

Other traditional names that highlight the cold and snow include:

Drift Clearing Moon (Cree)

Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree)

Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala)

Hoar Frost Moon (Cree)

Snow Moon (Haida, Cherokee)

Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki)

Moon When the Deer Shed Their Antlers (Dakota)

Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe)

In Europe, ancient pagans called it the “Moon Before Yule” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun.

This picture and the ones below I took on the way home.

We stopped along the highway on our way home and  I snapped
this picture I do not know what I hit to make the background
black. But I do like how it turned out.

It was a good day in our little part of the world. We enjoyed a fun Happy Hour with friends and we saw a super moon rise over the mountains. 

 If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 
or the words I have added that makes me smile. 
If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 
No matter what I am glad you stopped by!