I thought it was Venus also! until a much better informed friend of mine told me it was Mars, and wrote the following:

"It was an amazing night. At moonrise Mars was only a 5 degrees
from the moon, which is almost touching. It put both the moon and
Mars directly opposite the sun, something that is quite rare
indeed. Plus the solstice at the same general time. Whew.

And a good Festivus as well."



Blessings! Liora