Christmas countdown: when is Christmas 2026?
A live count of the days, hours, minutes and sleeps until Christmas, set to your own time zone.
Dates computed from the Gregorian calendar · Runs in your browserLast reviewed: October 9, 2026
The short answer
Christmas 2026 is on Friday, December 25, 2026. The counter above shows the days, hours, minutes and sleeps left in your own time zone. Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday. Orthodox churches that keep the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on January 7, 2027.
How it is calculated
Sleeps until Christmas = December 25 − today (in calendar days)
The live counter runs to 12:00 a.m. on December 25 in your device’s time zone, so it reaches zero at the same moment as the clock on your wall. From December 26 it switches to next year.
Worked example
Emma opens her Advent calendar on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, and her son asks how many sleeps are left.
- Christmas 2026 is on Friday, December 25, 2026
- Days from December 1 to December 25: 24
- Each night between now and then is one sleep, so the count of sleeps equals the count of days
- On Christmas Eve the counter shows 1 sleep; on Christmas morning it shows 0
24 sleeps until Christmas from December 1, one for each remaining Advent door.
Quick reference table
| Year | Christmas Day | Weekday | On a weekend? | Orthodox Christmas (Julian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 25, 2026 | Friday | No | January 7, 2027 |
| 2027 | December 25, 2027 | Saturday | Yes | January 7, 2028 |
| 2028 | December 25, 2028 | Monday | No | January 7, 2029 |
| 2029 | December 25, 2029 | Tuesday | No | January 7, 2030 |
| 2030 | December 25, 2030 | Wednesday | No | January 7, 2031 |
| 2031 | December 25, 2031 | Thursday | No | January 7, 2032 |
Special cases and common mistakes
- Christmas moves one weekday later each year, and two after a February 29. That is why Christmas 2026 is a Friday and Christmas 2027 is a Saturday.
- Weekend Christmases in the US. When Christmas falls on a Saturday, most federal employees get the Friday before off instead; on a Sunday, the Monday after. Years in the table that land on a weekend: 2027 (Saturday).
- In Canada, Christmas Day and Boxing Day (December 26) are both general holidays for federally regulated employees. Provinces set their own rules for other workers.
- Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Churches that still follow the Julian calendar, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, keep Christmas on December 25 of that calendar, which is currently January 7 on ours. The gap is 13 days until 2100, when it grows to 14.
- “Sleeps” is the way children count. It is the number of nights left, which equals the number of calendar days until December 25.
Frequently asked questions
How many days until Christmas?
The live counter at the top of this page shows the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds until 12:00 a.m. on December 25 in your time zone, and it updates every second.
What day of the week is Christmas 2026?
Christmas 2026 is on a Friday (December 25, 2026). Christmas Eve is the Thursday before.
What day is Christmas 2027?
Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday. Because it is a Saturday, most US federal employees observe the holiday on Friday, December 24.
How many sleeps until Christmas?
The number of sleeps equals the number of calendar days until December 25: one sleep on Christmas Eve, and none on Christmas Day. The counter above shows it for today.
Why do some people celebrate Christmas on January 7?
Orthodox churches that follow the older Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on their December 25, which falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar used for everyday dates in the US and Canada.
Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday?
Not in itself. The federal list names Christmas Day, December 25. When Christmas falls on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on Friday the 24th for most federal employees. In other years, any Christmas Eve closure is a separate decision, not part of the standing list.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)
- 5 U.S.C. § 6103, Holidays (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School) (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)
- Government of Canada, Annual vacations and general holidays (federally regulated employers) (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)
- Library of Congress, In Custodia Legis: "Christmas, Soviet Style" (Julian calendar and January 7) (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)