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"Christmas Berry" is decorating our landscape, Longest meteor shower of the year

Full "cold moon," extremely high tides

Toyon berries can bring a little holiday color to any local landscape.
Toyon berries can bring a little holiday color to any local landscape.

Toyon, or “Christmas berry,” one of the more distinctive shrubs of southern California’s native chaparral plant community, has begun to flaunt clusters of red berries. Hollywood (California) derives its name from the holly-like appearance of this plant. Here in coastal San Diego, toyon can usually be found wherever large patches of native vegetation survive, but especially in the thick chaparral covering some north-facing slopes. A holiday warning: toyon branches may look inviting to cut as a Christmas wreath — but they’re protected by California state law.

Getting away from the lights of the city will help but the nearly full moon’s glare will hamper observations of the meteors all night long.


December 13 will be the peak of one of the year’s brightest and most active meteor showers, the Geminids. The Geminid meteor shower is also the longest shower of the year typically averaging 75 meteors per hour from 9 pm until the break of dawn. Most showers don’t get going until well after midnight, but this show begins early because the Gemini constellation rises so early. Ideal viewing will be at 2 am as Gemini reaches its highest point in the night sky.

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December full moon

Unfortunately December’s “Cold Moon” will wash out most of the meteors and only the brightest will be visible. December’s Full Moon, named the “cold moon,” “oak moon,” “wolf moon,” and “moon of long nights” according to the traditions of certain past cultures, rises spectacularly over the eastern horizon a few minutes before the sun sets on Sunday, December 15. The moon’s night-long journey will take it nearly to the zenith of the sky by midnight and then down to a setting position over the ocean by dawn on Monday morning.

High tide approaching in at Cabrillo Monument's Tide Pools in Point Loma.


Exceptionally high and low tides are set to occur on several days in mid December. These tides coincide with the full moon, and also with the upcoming winter solstice — two factors that influence the tidal extremities. Friday, December 13, the tide will reach 7.32 ft at 7:02 am; on Saturday, December 14, 7.51 ft at 7:44 am; on Sunday, December 15, 7.51 ft at 8:25 am and on Monday, December 16, it will reach 7.28 ft at 9:07 am. If any strong winter storm happens to arrive from the west during these peak tides, some flooding of low-lying coastal areas around San Diego is likely. Several exceptionally low tides will also occur within the same string of dates. On December 14 and 15 the tide will fall to an extreme depth of -1.84 feet at 3:01 p.m. and 3:46 pm. December 16 will see a low of -1.61 feet at 4:30 pm. A perfect winter weekend for exploring marine life in the tidepool areas along San Diego County’s coastline.

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Toyon berries can bring a little holiday color to any local landscape.
Toyon berries can bring a little holiday color to any local landscape.

Toyon, or “Christmas berry,” one of the more distinctive shrubs of southern California’s native chaparral plant community, has begun to flaunt clusters of red berries. Hollywood (California) derives its name from the holly-like appearance of this plant. Here in coastal San Diego, toyon can usually be found wherever large patches of native vegetation survive, but especially in the thick chaparral covering some north-facing slopes. A holiday warning: toyon branches may look inviting to cut as a Christmas wreath — but they’re protected by California state law.

Getting away from the lights of the city will help but the nearly full moon’s glare will hamper observations of the meteors all night long.


December 13 will be the peak of one of the year’s brightest and most active meteor showers, the Geminids. The Geminid meteor shower is also the longest shower of the year typically averaging 75 meteors per hour from 9 pm until the break of dawn. Most showers don’t get going until well after midnight, but this show begins early because the Gemini constellation rises so early. Ideal viewing will be at 2 am as Gemini reaches its highest point in the night sky.

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December full moon

Unfortunately December’s “Cold Moon” will wash out most of the meteors and only the brightest will be visible. December’s Full Moon, named the “cold moon,” “oak moon,” “wolf moon,” and “moon of long nights” according to the traditions of certain past cultures, rises spectacularly over the eastern horizon a few minutes before the sun sets on Sunday, December 15. The moon’s night-long journey will take it nearly to the zenith of the sky by midnight and then down to a setting position over the ocean by dawn on Monday morning.

High tide approaching in at Cabrillo Monument's Tide Pools in Point Loma.


Exceptionally high and low tides are set to occur on several days in mid December. These tides coincide with the full moon, and also with the upcoming winter solstice — two factors that influence the tidal extremities. Friday, December 13, the tide will reach 7.32 ft at 7:02 am; on Saturday, December 14, 7.51 ft at 7:44 am; on Sunday, December 15, 7.51 ft at 8:25 am and on Monday, December 16, it will reach 7.28 ft at 9:07 am. If any strong winter storm happens to arrive from the west during these peak tides, some flooding of low-lying coastal areas around San Diego is likely. Several exceptionally low tides will also occur within the same string of dates. On December 14 and 15 the tide will fall to an extreme depth of -1.84 feet at 3:01 p.m. and 3:46 pm. December 16 will see a low of -1.61 feet at 4:30 pm. A perfect winter weekend for exploring marine life in the tidepool areas along San Diego County’s coastline.

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