How Many Days Until Christmas?
When is Christmas?
Christmas is celebrated every year on December 25.
Christmas marks the birth of Jesus and is the biggest holiday of the year in much of the world, with gift-giving, family meals, and decorated trees. December 25 is a public holiday in more than 150 countries. In Pakistan the same date is also Quaid-e-Azam Day, the birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Christmas dates by year
| Year | Date | Day of the week |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 25, 2026 | Friday |
| 2027 | December 25, 2027 | Saturday |
| 2028 | December 25, 2028 | Monday |
| 2029 | December 25, 2029 | Tuesday |
| 2030 | December 25, 2030 | Wednesday |
| 2031 | December 25, 2031 | Thursday |
| 2032 | December 25, 2032 | Saturday |
How Christmas traditions started
The first recorded celebration of Christmas on December 25 was in Rome in 336 AD. Many familiar customs came much later: the decorated tree spread from Germany in the 1800s, Christmas cards started in England in 1843, and the modern image of Santa Claus took shape in American magazines in the same century.
Plan around shipping cut-offs, which usually fall in the second or third week of December, and around the busiest travel days just before and after the holiday.
Christmas 2026 countdown milestones
The dates when Christmas 2026 is a round number of days away. Each is counted to Friday, December 25, 2026.
| Days to go | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | |
| 75 | Sunday, October 11, 2026 | |
| 50 | Thursday, November 5, 2026 | |
| 30 | Wednesday, November 25, 2026 | |
| 24 | Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | Most Advent calendars start (December 1) |
| 12 | Sunday, December 13, 2026 | |
| 7 | Friday, December 18, 2026 | One week to go |
| 1 | Thursday, December 24, 2026 | Christmas Eve |
Advent and the 12 days of Christmas
Advent, the season of preparation in Western churches, starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas: Sunday, November 29, 2026 in 2026. Advent calendars usually ignore that date and simply run from December 1 to December 24.
The 12 days of Christmas run from Christmas Day to January 5, with Twelfth Night on January 5 and Epiphany on January 6, 2027. Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar, including those in Russia, Serbia and Ethiopia, celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Planning time off around Christmas
Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday, giving a three-day weekend wherever it's a day off. Roads, flights and hotels tend to be busier around those dates, so book early.
Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday. Many countries move a public holiday that lands on a weekend to the nearest weekday, often the Friday before, so check your official holiday list before booking leave.
Counting down to something else?
Use the days until any date calculator, or set a live countdown timer for a birthday, exam, wedding, or trip.