Why is this the one to stay up for?
The International Meteor Organization calls the Geminids the best and most reliable shower, with a maximum on 14 December 2026 at 14:00 UT. The radiant is in Gemini. From northern latitudes it is useful from the evening. In the south it rises later and the rate is lower. The parent body is asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
The moon is a thin crescent, so faint meteors are not lost in moonlight. The Ursids a week later are a small northern shower under a bright moon. The Geminid page is the peak night of 13 to 14 December.