Mercury met Jupiter on New Year's Eve, and still remains quite close and bright. Look for them low in the southwest in early January, where they'll be the only objects visible in binoculars. Mercury and Jupiter are having a triple conjunction — that means they will meet three times between now and February, as the quick planet Mercury dances in circles around the slow-moving planet Jupiter.
As the map shows, Mercury will be stationary in declination for over a week. This means Mercury will set at the same point on the horizon every night. If you have a spare room with a view of the horizon, set up a telescope, and aim it at the point where Mercury sets. You'll be able to watch the phases of Mercury until mid-January, long after most astronomers have given up trying.
Map: Looking 10° to the right of southwest at sunset. Observer's horizon is at bottom, zenith is up. Computed for a customer in New Mexico USA.
Photo by the author, January 1, 23 hours UT.
Visibility: After sundown. Extremely low in the sunset; do not wait for dark.
Duration: First half of January.

Observers in Europe will see an occultation of the Pleiades (M45) on the evening of January 7.
Map: Moon plotted every 20 minutes, from sunset to 19:40 UT. Computed for a customer in Tübingen, Germany. Labels are UT date and time. Perspective affects event times; paying customers get maps customized for their locations.
Visibility: Europe. Binoculars or telescope with lunar filter helpful.
Duration: 1 night only.