Leo Monthly Love Horoscope

When energizer Mars powered into your sign on November 3, it turned your lusty nature up to “beast mode.” But starting December 6, your passionate purr could sound more like a harried hiss, as the red planet spins retrograde, backing up through Leo until January 6, then hitting snooze in Cancer until February 23. Before that happens, do a stress test. The road to heartache may be paved with one too many irons in your fire. If you don’t want to lose those lovin’ feelings—or snap on your S.O.—start removing things from your overflowing plate instead of attempting to make Pinterest-perfect platters of holiday cookies for every neighbor, coworker and teacher at your kid’s school. The only thing that should be getting iced this month is your ring finger! We kid (sorta), but, choices, Leo!

Silver lining: Nostalgic retrogrades can awaken the old-fashioned romantic in you, stirring up opportunities to deliver the stuff that fairy tales are made of. If you find yourself hitting a wall with talks about “what’s next,” hop back into the way-back sleigh and reprise some of your most effective hits. Just make sure you don’t call in some ghosters of relationships past in the process, a risk of retrogrades. 

There will be plenty of forward-moving momentum, too. On December 7, Venus sweeps into Aquarius and settles into your seventh house of committed relationships for the rest of the year. You’ll be in a couple-y frame of mind. With the experimental Aquarian energy flowing, rustle up a few kinks from your playbook, which might involve taking yourself on a different kind of “toy drive.” 

The only rub? Venus and Mars, the love planets, are essentially opposite each other for all of December—locking into an exact face-off on the 12th. This could spur second thoughts and even a bout of self-doubt for a day or three. Feelings could heat up, then fade, like a flash fire, too. Unless you plan to make good on any feelings you ignite, steer clear of the mistletoe and don’t make any grandiose promises you aren’t 90% certain you can keep—especially with Mercury retrograde stirring up drama in your romance zone until December 15. 

Watch out for mixed messages and missed texts! Do you REALLY want to get all sloppy sentimental this season? Mercury’s retrograde in candid Sagittarius can serve up cringe-y moments that make you feel like a Real Housewife unraveling at a dinner party. If an ex slides into your DMs, be circumspect and wait until they reveal their true intentions. The Gemini full moon on December 15—yes, the same day Mercury resumes its forward motion—will bring back clarity (and finality) around relationship issues that have been up for review. If you can’t move past a dealbreaker, it’s time to leave that chapter of “what could’ve been” firmly in 2024.

Leos who are ready to take a relationship into more serious terrain could have a happy holiday season that might include shiny objects like engagement rings or spare keys to each other’s apartment. With love planet Venus hooking up with lucky Jupiter on the 19th, one of your long-standing fantasies could come to life.