Yvonnie, if you're seeing this bright object during the night, I'd be amazed if it were anything other than Jupiter. Venus is much brighter, but it's quite low in the sky and is setting soon after the Sun goes down.
Jupiter, Earth and Sun will be nicely lined up this Friday, the 6th. It's called opposition. (More about this in
Syzygy - When Heavenly Bodies Align.) Jupiter won't get any closer to us until 2019. But, in fact, it's been very bright for a few months and will stay bright for some while after opposition.
Where I was over Christmas, my window faces southwest and sometimes Jupiter was almost like a beacon in the dark sky. Currently, Jupiter rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, so it's visible all night long. Only the Moon outshines it once Venus has set.
To all readers: If you want to check what you're seeing in the sky, the
Heavens above website includes an interactive sky chart in the ASTRONOMY section. When you get onto the site, choose your location - a nearby city will do. Then you can change the time and date of the star map as you please.
