When is Christmas Day?
Christmas Day is always December 25. In 2026 it falls on Friday, December 25, 2026, and in 2027 it's on Saturday, December 25, 2027. When this page was last updated, on October 12, 2026, there were 74 days to go, which is about 10 weeks and 4 days. The counter at the top keeps ticking down in real time on your device, so it's always current.
| Year | Date | Day of the week |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 25 | Friday |
| 2027 | December 25 | Saturday |
A little history
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. The Bible doesn't give a date; December 25 was set by the Roman church in the fourth century. Many modern traditions, like the Christmas tree and Santa Claus, came later from Germany, the Netherlands and 19th-century America.
How people celebrate
Gifts, stockings, big meals, church services, Christmas movies and phone calls with family far away. If you're shipping presents, don't wait: standard ground shipping in the US is usually safe until about mid-December, and later than that you're paying for express.
Closures and practical notes
It's a federal holiday nearly everywhere. Almost everything closes, including banks, post offices, the stock market and most stores. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, giving a three-day weekend.
Planning tips
It's an official US federal holiday, so plan around closures: banks, post offices and government offices shut, and mail doesn't go out. If you need to send a package or sort out paperwork, do it a couple of days before.
Long weekends mean busy roads. If you're driving, leaving early in the morning or late at night beats sitting in holiday traffic, and booking hotels two or three weeks out usually gets better prices.
How the countdown works
We count full calendar days from today's date to the holiday, using the clock on your own phone or computer, so it matches your local time zone. On the day itself the counter switches to the next year's date. Want to count to a birthday or deadline instead? Our days until any date page does that in one tap.
Frequently asked questions
When is Christmas Day 2026?
Friday, December 25, 2026.
What day of the week is Christmas Day in 2027?
It's a Saturday (December 25, 2027).
How many days until Christmas?
Check the live countdown at the top of this page; it updates every second.