There's reason to brave the elements this December: The month's meteor shower, the Geminids, is the best and brightest of the year, Dr. Bill Cooke, an expert in NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, told weather.com.

Meteors will start to streak across the sky the night of Dec. 4, continuing through the 17th. The show will peak in the early morning hours of Dec. 14 — between midnight and 3 a.m. is the sweet spot, Cooke said.

“If you can stand the cold, it's the best meteor of shower of the year, if the skies are clear,” Cooke said. "[Viewers] should see about one Geminid per minute during the peak time.” The waxing crescent moon won't inhibit your view this year, he added.

Meteors could actually fall at the rate of 120 per hour, but fainter meteors can't typically be seen with the naked eye, Cooke said.

It's bright, and getting brighter. Here's why: Every year in mid-December, Earth passes through a stream of debris from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, creating meteors as this debris interacts with our planet's atmosphere. Over the past several centuries, the gravitational pull of Jupiter has pulled this debris closer and closer to Earth, producing richer, brighter meteor showers. This trend is expected to continue; the shower is set to become even more spectacular by the century's end.

As for specific viewing instructions, Cooke simply said, “Under a good, dark sky, lie on your back, and look straight up.”

Here are other celestial events to watch for this month.

Planets in View

Venus will be in the east during the early morning hours this month in both the northern and southern hemispheres, according to EarthSky.org.

On Dec. 7, around sunrise, Venus will also occult — or pass over — the moon. It's to see the two brightest objects in our sky (besides the sun) near each other.

Sky watchers can spot Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, too, this month. For example, the Gas Giant will rise “… in the east an hour or so after midnight local time at the beginning of the month. By the month’s end, Jupiter will actually rise before local midnight from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres,” EarthSky notes.

Christmas Full Moon

This year, with glad Christmas tidings come with the full moon. The December moon will be fullest on the Yuletide, a rare occurrence; this is the first time it's happened since 1977, and the events won't align again until 2034.

The last full moon of the year gets the nickname the Full Long Night'sMoon, in honor of the month's dark, cold nights.

“The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time,” according to the Farmer's Almanac. “The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low sun.”

It's a busy celestial sky out there; bundle up, and enjoy.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: 59 Photos of the Dazzling Full Moon

A full moon rises behind Glastonbury Tor as people gather to celebrate the summer solstice on June 20, 2016 in Somerset, England. Last night's strawberry moon, a name given to the full moon in June by Native Americans because it marks the beginning of strawberry picking season, last occurred on the solstice on June 22, 1967 and it will not happen again on the summer solstice for another 46 years until June 21, 2062. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)