If you celebrate Christmas, then you know what the “Christmas marathon” is. It’s a race that occurs as soon as Thanksgiving ends, then all throughout December. Specifically, the “Christmas marathon” is when you stress about presents and don’t know if you’ll have enough money this year. Or when you worry your social battery is too low to get you through yet another family function. On the other hand, the “Christmas marathon” could be that feeling you get when you’ve heard “dashing through the snow” for the fifth time today as a customer yells at you because they are over-stimulated by the “Christmas marathon”, yet have no self awareness and zero respect for retail workers. Knowing how to survive the “Christmas marathon” requires stamina, courage, patience, and acceptance for all of us; but according to each zodiac sign, there are other ways we can individually survive, and thrive this holiday season.

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The Astrology of December 2023

Week One

The month of December begins with Mercury entering Capricorn on December 1st at 8:29a CT. Mercury is the planet of communication and Capricorn is the sign of ambition, structure, and goals. With that said, it’s likely the Christmas marathon will already be in full force for all zodiac signs this weekend. Think calendars filling up with holiday craft fairs, Christmas light shows, and plans to deep clean the house.

Week Two

On December 4th at 12:48p CT, Venus will enter Scorpio. Then two days later on December 6th at 6:38a CT, Neptune will station direct in Pisces. In English, this means bring on the water works! Venus is the planet of love, while Scorpio is the sign of intensity, power, and obsession. Neptune is the planet of fantasy, while Pisces is the sign of mystery, intuition, and sensitivity. On one hand, this could be a very emotional week for everyone. On the other hand, this could be a great time to lean into the “Christmas marathon”. Remember it’s not a Christmas sprint, so pace yourselves. With intense love, and mysterious fantasies – this could be a fun week for getting lost in the Christmas spirit. Go ahead and watch that cheesy Hallmark movie and imagine yourself getting whisked away by a small town Christmas tree farmer. A person can dream, right?

Week Three

Then the following week we have a New Moon in Sagittarius on December 12th at 5:33p CT, followed by Mercury retrograde in Capricorn on December 13th at 1:08a CT. New Moons are typically great times for goal setting and intention building, but with Mercury retrograde, your goals may not be communicated externally in the same way you’re picturing your goals internally. My advice is to loosen up on the calendar you put together on December 1st. Even though you had the whole season planned out and were ready to crush this “Christmas marathon”, life can have a funny way of throwing a wrench in your plans. Embrace the Sagittarius Moon energy and be spontaneous. Be ready to release control and create new Christmas memories.

Week Four

Finally, we have the last leg of the “Christmas marathon” – Christmas week. The Sun enters Capricorn on December 21st at 9:24p CT (aka the December Solstice). Then on December 23rd, Mercury bounces back into Sagittarius at 12:19a CT. Basically all month we have planets bouncing around in Capricorn and Sagittarius. There are many lessons to gain from all of the zodiac signs, but for surviving “Christmas marathons”, we can learn a lot from Sagittarius and Capricorn. While Capricorn is practical and grounded, Sagittarius is impractical and wishful – much like Christmas itself. Regardless of our zodiac signs, in order to thrive this Christmas, we can choose to believe in the magic and give in to the whimsy (Sagittarius) while gathering with our loved ones and embracing the traditions that bring us together year after year (Capricorn). Otherwise, we can choose to be Scrooges and Grinches and hate Christmas while suffering through the marathon. If you typically tend to struggle every year, that is A-OK. Read on for more tips on how to survive the “Christmas marathon” according to your zodiac sign.

Zodiac Signs Surviving the “Christmas Marathon”

Now that you know what the Astrology has in store for all of us this month, let’s focus on your individual zodiac sign. Feel free to look at your Sun sign, Rising sign, or even your Moon sign. All of these tips and tricks are intuitive and meant to be fun – my advice is not full proof take it or leave it.

Aries

Since you are such an individualistic zodiac sign, surviving the “Christmas marathon” can be a real challenge for you. You like to go your own way, so being stuck in a house with your in-laws might make your blood boil. Mid marathon, you should plan a day for you. Don’t wait until you’re about to snap. Be proactive and get a massage on the books, ASAP. Call it an early Christmas present to yourself. They may not know it right away, but your family will thank you for it later.

Taurus

It’s Christmas season, you say? More like, hibernation season! Taurus, I know this is stereotypical, but it’s also the truth – you need your sleep. When your family wants to go out for Christmas cocktails at 8pm, don’t be afraid to say no thanks. FOMO is real, but it will be OK. Everyone is going to get drunk and disorderly anyway. You will be happier at home in your bed. Remember, it’s a “Christmas marathon”, the family will be up and at it again tomorrow – especially the fire sign family members – they can bounce back after a sleepless night (or at least act like they’ve bounced back), you cannot.

Gemini

Indulgence is fun and all, but try taking it easier during this “Christmas marathon”. When stress arises, it can be tempting to distract with too much food or too much liquor. When your drunk aunt starts passing around the bottle, or your baker cousin asks you to eat more cupcakes – just say no thank you. You don’t have to say no every time, just say no occasionally. Try getting a board game or a video game going instead. You can’t eat and drink too much if your hands are on the controller.

Cancer

Nostalgia plagues you every single year. If you don’t look at Christmas lights, bake cookies with the family, or do the ten other Christmas traditions you love – you will be sad. Instead of reminiscing about past traditions and trying to make the current ones work, release your expectations. Make a scrapbook with pictures of all of your past traditions and take some time to look through it by yourself. Laugh, cry, or be angry at the past. Then when you are back in the present moment with your loved ones, let the traditions expand and grow. Let things change, and remember to embrace the emotions that come up.

Leo

Your family can be very intense, but so can you. When everyone starts acting up and tension starts brewing, stop and take a look around for a moment. You have a hard time letting things be awkward and tense without fueling the fire, but that’s OK. In fact, you are the best at finding the comedy in the awkward moments. So when cousin Eddy complains about the ham and pisses off your mom, whip out the ham puns and try to get the room laughing again.

Virgo

Christmas will never be perfect. You will never have the perfect decorations, the perfect food, or the perfect family photos. With that said though, everyone knows that your Christmas aesthetic will be damn near close to perfect. They will be jealous of your matching decorations, your glistening food, and your cute family photos. So don’t stress about these things. Enjoy your fun new decor, your shiny ham, and that picture of your baby crying in their tiny elf costume. Pleasure is often found in imperfection.

Libra

Gift giving can be beautiful, stressful, or both. If your love language is gift giving, then you might actually be excited about the “Christmas marathon”. The only thing to keep in mind though, is that gift giving is challenging for a lot of people. Many people are often worried about money and struggle to come up with affordable gift ideas. If you bought a gift for a friend and their face didn’t light up when they opened it, don’t take it personally. They may just be feeling bad that they didn’t get you something equally as awesome. On the other hand, if you are stressed about money and getting decent gifts, start researching now. Get on Pinterest and search for inexpensive Christmas gift options. You may be able to make something out of materials you already have. You don’t want to be doing this the week before Christmas, though.

Scorpio

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your list of tasks, ask for help. You don’t have to do everything alone. Whether it’s friends, coworkers, or family – people are here to help you. Sure, they may be stressed with their own holiday shenanigans, but you have a tendency to take on more than most people. Don’t feel bad about asking for assistance. Remember though, Scorpio is a controlling zodiac sign, so in order to survive the “Christmas marathon”, you have to give up control as you give out tasks. Aunt Sue might not wrap presents as good as you do, but that’s OK. They are all going to get ripped open one way or another.

Sagittarius

You survive off of fun and adventure. In order to survive this “Christmas marathon”, do what you do best and let loose. Don’t let your family members pressure you into taking things seriously. Christmas is silly, whimsical, magical, and childish. Listen to your inner child and play like you used to play. You can even encourage your friends and family to loosen up a bit by asking them what their favorite childhood Christmas present was. Let them reminisce on the old days and remind them of the true spirit of Christmas.

Sagittarius Season – Let It Be

Capricorn

Come up with a plan for leaving early, or show up late. When the time comes, say “Alright everyone, thanks for having me. I’m heading out.” And if everyone goes “oh no, you’re leaving.” Just say “yup, I’ll see ya’ll (insert next time here)”. If your family is anything like my family, then you will be seeing them soon for cookie baking, or next week for Christmas day, and in a couple of weekends for New Years. You don’t owe them every hour of every day. You can show up and leave when you please. Even if your partner wants to stay… let them stay and find a ride home tomorrow. Peace out!

Aquarius

Connect with old friends during this holiday season. Throw your own Christmas party and shoot the shit with old pals. Make it a themed party, like a Nutcracker Christmas or an ugly sweater party. If you’re worried about your social battery running out, keep in mind that good friends and good company can often recharge your battery. Energy vampires are the ones who drain your social battery. Create your guest list with that idea in mind.

Pisces

In order to survive the “Christmas marathon”, try having a nice Christmas cry. Just kidding, unless you want to. Pisces can be a very emotional sign, but this doesn’t always mean crying is involved. The holidays can be hard for a lot of people because they are grieving lost loved ones. If you are grieving, take space in whatever ways you need. Call a loved one to chat about your lost family member or go to the cemetery and decorate their grave sight. However, if someone you love is grieving a loss this Christmas, try to be there for them however they need. Helping a friend through an emotional time can be a very rewarding experience. Whether you are just there to listen to them talk, or if you can take them to enjoy their lost loved ones favorite Christmas activity – your empathy will be appreciated this season.

Summary

So that’s how you survive the “Christmas marathon” according to your zodiac sign. A marathon is an intense test of endurance and not everyone has the energy to endure that sort of thing. If you or someone you love is not in the Christmas spirit this season, don’t push it. Ultimately, do whatever makes you feel comfortable and remember that the “Christmas marathon” will be back to bother us all again next year.