Christmas Eve Countdown

How many days until Christmas Eve?

As of October 17, 2026, Christmas Eve is 68 days away. That is 9 weeks and 5 days, or 19% of a year; the timer above has the exact figure for today in your time zone.

Christmas Eve dates, 2026 to 2031

When is Christmas Eve 2026? Dates through 2035

How the date of Christmas Eve is set

Christmas Eve is December 24 every year, the day before Christmas Day.

Also coming up: Christmas on Friday, December 25, 2026, New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027, and the first day of winter on Monday, December 21, 2026.

Christmas Eve facts and traditions

Christmas Eve is the evening and day before Christmas. In many countries it is the main occasion for the family meal and for exchanging gifts.

Christmas Eve celebrations start in the evening because the church day traditionally begins at sunset. Midnight Mass is held that night, and in German the evening is called Heilige Nacht, holy night.

• It is not a US federal holiday, though many workplaces close early.
• It is a full or partial holiday in a number of European countries.
• Santa Claus, Father Christmas and the Christkind are said to set out with their presents on Christmas Eve.

How the Christmas Eve countdown counts

The timer runs to midnight at the start of Christmas Eve in your own time zone: the hours, minutes and seconds left today, plus the full days after that. "Days until" counts calendar days, so tomorrow is always 1 day away and the count at the top is one more than the timer's full days. After the day has passed, the countdown moves on to next year by itself.

For a span between any two dates, with weeks and working days, use the days between dates calculator. To count down to a date of your own, create a countdown with its own link.

Put the Christmas Eve countdown on your site

Copy this code into any web page. It shows a small live countdown that links back here.

Embed code <iframe src="https://timetocelebrate.net/embed/christmas-eve/" title="Christmas Eve countdown" width="340" height="150" style="border:0" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Copy code Preview the Christmas Eve embed