On December 7, the pig's month ends and the rat one begins, this is the first sign of Chinese astrology, and is associated with the winter solstice, so that many of their qualities are identified with this season of the year (in the northern hemisphere).

One of rat's outstanding qualities is to be able to do much with little, in fact this earned her the first place between the signs of Chinese astrology, and somewhat today, with all the problems and limitations that affect us, it is a very useful and necessary quality.

Also, in the transition from the pig to the rat there will be a tendency to do things more thoroughly, getting to the bottom of the situations and leaving little to chance, usually the rat is blunt and demanding, does not like things half done.

But on the other hand it will be easy to be a little stressed, especially those who have situations and jobs that are likely to be so, anything that is related to making tough and fast decisions during times of crisis is more likely to occur during the influence of the rat, especially with an implication of having to make an effort to stay calm and keep a cool head, the latter is what will make the difference between success or failure.

Otherwise, December should be a good month to lay the foundations for new projects or ideas, even for new relationships with other people, just try to start with the right foot and clear ideas, being smart and clever but also honest and straightforward.

And in general it is advisable to be active doing little things, little at least in appearance, often it's the little things that lead to big ones, you just have to discover how do they connect one to each other.

Apart from this, at an astronomical level this month is the best to observe the constellation of Orion, one of the most beautiful and striking of the night sky:

Also in December there will be two meteor showers:

• Around 14th, the Geminids, which have their radiant in the Gemini constellation, and are usually very active, they can reach up to 150 meteors per hour, making it one of more active of the year together with the Quadrantids.
• Then on 22nd it's the maximum activity of the Ursids, with her radiant in Ursa Minor; it coincides with the solstice and the peak influence of month's rat, and as this sign, it is often very discreet, with only about 10 meteors per hour.

On the other hand, on December 17 the Chinese winter festival (Dongzhi 冬至) will take place, this is one of the most important of the year, it commemorates the fact that the days will begin to grow soon, and is used to gather together with family and friends, the typical dish being a king of rice balls with flour that symbolize the united family:

Such is the traditional importance of this festival that is typically used to tell your age, in the same way that we say 'to have 36 winters', the Chinese say they have so many Dongzhis.

And obviously, the most remarkable moment of the month will be on December 22nd when the solstice will take place, marking the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the South; this is the moment when the sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, which is its southernmost position throughout the year.

And after the solstice we'll celebrate Christmas, New Year's party, and all that stuff... so I just wish everyone reading this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ^_^