Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday
Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, 2026. The countdown above runs to midnight at the very start of December 25 wherever you are, using your device's clock and time zone, so it's right whether you're in New York, London, or Sydney.
It shows two numbers because people mean two things by “how many days until Christmas”. The big number counts calendar days: how many times you'll wake up before Christmas morning, or how many sleeps are left. The smaller line underneath is the exact time remaining, down to the second. On the evening of Christmas Eve, the big number says 1 day while the exact countdown shows only a few hours.
Christmas 2026 at a glance
The dates most people count down to in December, with a live count for each.
| Date | When | Time to go |
|---|---|---|
| First Sunday of Advent | Sun, November 29 | – |
| Advent calendars begin | Tue, December 1 | – |
| Christmas Eve | Thu, December 24 | – |
| Christmas Day | Fri, December 25 | – |
| Boxing Day | Sat, December 26 | – |
Most Advent calendars have 24 doors, one for each day from December 1 to Christmas Eve. The church season of Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, so its start date moves from year to year. Boxing Day is a public holiday in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several other countries.
What day of the week is Christmas?
Christmas moves one weekday later each year, and two after a February 29.
| Year | Christmas Day |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, December 25 |
| 2027 | Saturday, December 25 |
| 2028 | Monday, December 25 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, December 25 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, December 25 |
| 2031 | Thursday, December 25 |
Planning with the Christmas countdown
The weeks figure in the countdown is the most useful one for planning. A few things that are easier with a number in front of you:
- Shipping gifts. Postal services and couriers publish their holiday shipping deadlines each year. Look up the cutoff for the service you use and compare it with the days left, especially for international parcels, which close earliest.
- Spreading out the shopping. Divide your list by the number of weekends left instead of saving it all for the last one.
- Travel. Flights and trains around Christmas fill up early. If you're going home for the holidays, the countdown is a good nudge to book.
- Kids asking “how many sleeps?” The big number is the answer. Share the page with them, or put it somewhere they'll see it.
How the countdown stays up to date
This page always lives at the same address. On December 25 it wishes you a merry Christmas, and from December 26 it starts counting to the following year's Christmas, with the year in the heading changing to match. Bookmark it once and it will be right every December.
The countdown runs entirely in your browser and needs no account. To share it, use Share this countdown above to send the link to family and friends.
On a Mac? See how to keep this countdown visible on your Mac.
