Zodiac signs by month
December Zodiac Signs: Sagittarius, Then Capricorn
December is Sagittarius until around December 21, and Capricorn begins at the winter solstice on about December 21 or 22.
Born in December? Check your sign
A December birthday in the first three weeks makes you a Sagittarius; one in the last ten days makes you a Capricorn. The switch happens at the winter solstice, around the 21st or 22nd, so every Christmas and New Year's Eve baby is a Capricorn. The table near the top lists the switch for 2026 and 2027 to the minute.
| Year | Capricorn starts (US Eastern) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | December 21, 3:50 PM EST |
| 2027 | December 21, 9:42 PM EST |
Calculated from the Sun's position, rounded to the nearest minute (official almanacs can differ by one minute). Born before that moment: Sagittarius. Born at or after it: Capricorn. All years on zodiac sign dates.
Early December: Sagittarius
Sagittarius is Jupiter's fire sign, and astrology pictures it as curious, generous and outspoken. Early-December birthdays come with a reputation for big plans, a taste for travel or study, and a habit of saying exactly what they think at the dinner table.
Being mutable, Sagittarius adapts quickly and gets bored just as fast. It tends to need room, and it can lose patience with routine. See the Sagittarius page for more.
Holiday-season Sagittarians often get their birthday folded into the general celebrations, and astrologers joke that the sign shrugs it off better than most. Optimism is its default, and a crowded calendar suits a sign that likes to be on the move.
Late December: Capricorn
Saturn, the planet astrologers tie to time, limits and results that take years, rules Capricorn. Its symbol is the sea-goat, a goat with a fish's tail, which climbs the mountain but remembers the water it came from. Late-December Capricorns are linked with ambition, dry humor and a strong sense of responsibility.
As a cardinal sign, Capricorn starts projects and sees them through, often more quietly than others expect. The pitfall is all work and too little rest. Read more on the Capricorn page.
A Capricorn born in the last days of December shares the turn of the year with its own birthday, and the sign's habit of taking stock and setting goals fits the season.
Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp: what is true
Birthdays from about December 18 to 24 are often called the "cusp of prophecy" in popular books, with a personality said to blend Sagittarius vision and Capricorn grit. As a description it can be fun to read. As astrology, it has no classical basis.
The Sun enters Capricorn at the instant of the solstice. Your sign depends on whether you were born before or after that instant, which is a matter of minutes for anyone born on December 21 or 22.
- December 1 to 19: Sagittarius in every year
- December 20 to 23: check the exact time for your birth year
- December 24 to 31: Capricorn in every year, including Christmas and New Year's Eve
Why the solstice moves
The winter solstice is not fixed to one date. It lands on December 21 in most recent years and on December 22 in some, because the Gregorian calendar and the solar year do not match to the hour. Each year the solstice comes several hours later than the one before, until a leap year pulls it earlier again.
If your family celebrates a solstice birthday, the time zone can matter as well. A solstice at 11 p.m. in Denver is already the following day in Boston. The table uses US Eastern time, so convert it before you compare it with a birth certificate from another region.
Over the last hundred years, the solstice has come as early as December 20 and as late as December 23, depending on the year and the place. A December 20 or December 23 birthday is therefore worth a quick check too, even though the answer is usually clear.
Jupiter and Saturn: the two rulers
December moves from a Jupiter sign to a Saturn sign, and the two planets were the outermost ones known to ancient astrologers. In the classical picture they work as a pair: Jupiter widens and Saturn narrows, Jupiter says yes and Saturn asks what it will cost.
There is a further twist. Jupiter is in fall in Capricorn, which in traditional terms means its open-handed style has a hard time in Saturn's sign. Mars, by contrast, is exalted in Capricorn, so the sign is read as ambitious and hard-working rather than only cautious.
- Sagittarius under Jupiter: faith, travel, learning, big hopes
- Capricorn under Saturn: structure, patience, status earned over time
- Exalted in Capricorn: Mars, which adds drive to Saturn's patience
Look at your Moon and rising too
If you are a Sagittarius who loves a spreadsheet or a Capricorn who keeps booking trips, your Moon or rising sign is a good place to look. These placements change much faster than the Sun and color how a Sun sign shows up day to day.
Type your birth date, time and place into the big three calculator to get the three placements at once. For a fuller view, including houses and planets, try the birth chart calculator.
December birthstones and birth flowers
December has three birthstones on the modern US list: turquoise, tanzanite and zircon, all of which come in shades of blue. The birth flowers usually given for December are the narcissus, often sold as paperwhites, and holly.
These are folk and trade traditions, unrelated to your sign. They suit the season more than the zodiac, which is part of their charm.
Tanzanite is the newest name on any month's list, added in 2002 after the stone was found in Tanzania in the 1960s. Holly, with its red berries and evergreen leaves, has been a winter decoration in Europe for centuries.