Christmas Countdown
As of October 17, 2026 there are 69 days until Christmas: Friday, December 25, 2026.
Friday, December 25, 2026
How many days until Christmas?
As of October 17, 2026, Christmas is 69 days away. That is 9 weeks and 6 days, or 19% of a year; the timer above has the exact figure for today in your time zone.
Christmas dates, 2026 to 2031
| Year | Date | Day | Federal holiday observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday | Same day | |
| 2027 | Saturday | Friday, December 24, 2027 | |
| 2028 | Monday | Same day | |
| 2029 | Tuesday | Same day | |
| 2030 | Wednesday | Same day | |
| 2031 | Thursday | Same day |
When is Christmas 2026? Dates through 2035
How the date of Christmas is set
Christmas Day is December 25 every year.
Christmas is one of the eleven legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103. When it falls on a weekend, federal offices close on the Friday before or the Monday after; the Office of Personnel Management lists those days each year.
Also coming up: Christmas Eve on Thursday, December 24, 2026, New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027, and Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Christmas facts and traditions
Christmas falls on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. Churches that follow the Julian calendar, including several Orthodox churches, celebrate it on January 7.
The church fixed Christmas on December 25 in the early fourth century. In the United States it was declared a federal holiday on June 28, 1870.
- The twelve days of Christmas run from December 25 to Twelfth Night on January 5.
- Most churches do not hold December 25 to be the historical date of Jesus' birth; it is the traditional date and the earliest one on record.
- By the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree had become common in America.
- Because the date is fixed, the weekday moves forward by one each year, or by two after a leap day.
How the Christmas countdown counts
The timer runs to midnight at the start of Christmas 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 countdown on your site
Copy this code into any web page. It shows a small live countdown that links back here.
Questions about the Christmas countdown
How many weeks until Christmas?
9 weeks and 6 days as of October 17, 2026, or 69 days in all. The countdown at the top of this page updates to today's number in your own time zone.
How many sleeps until Christmas?
69 sleeps as of October 17, 2026. That is one sleep for each night left, the same as the days count, so on Christmas Eve there is one sleep to go.
What day is 100 days before Christmas?
September 16. Counting back 100 days from December 25 lands on the same date every year, because no February 29 falls in between. In 2026 it has passed: Christmas is 69 days away as of October 17, 2026.
When does the Christmas countdown reach zero?
At midnight at the start of Friday, December 25, 2026, in your own time zone, so it reaches zero earlier in London than in New York.
Can I add Christmas to my calendar?
Yes. "Add to calendar" downloads an .ics file for December 25, 2026 that calendar apps such as Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook can import.
When is Christmas in 2027?
Saturday, December 25, 2027. The Christmas dates page lists every year through 2035.
Is Christmas a federal holiday?
Yes. Christmas is one of the eleven US federal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103. When it falls on a Saturday it is observed on the Friday before, and when it falls on a Sunday, on the Monday after.
Sources
- 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays — the eleven legal public holidays and the weekend rule (checked October 16, 2026)
- US Office of Personnel Management: Federal Holidays — the days federal offices close each year (checked October 16, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Christmas — history and traditions (checked October 16, 2026)