How the Christmas countdown works
The calculator takes today's date from your device and counts the whole calendar days to the next 25 December. Once Christmas Day has passed, it counts to 25 December of the following year, so the page is always useful. Leap years are handled automatically, because the count uses real calendar days.
For example, on 1 October 2026 there are 85 days until Christmas Day, which is 12 weeks and 1 day. The working days figure counts Monday to Friday from today up to the day before, and it does not remove public holidays.
Days until Christmas 2026 from the start of each month
| From | Days to go | Weeks and days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September | 115 | 16 weeks and 3 days |
| 1 October | 85 | 12 weeks and 1 day |
| 1 November | 54 | 7 weeks and 5 days |
| 1 December | 24 | 3 weeks and 3 days |
What day of the week is Christmas?
The weekday moves forward by one each year, or by two after a leap year. Christmas Eve is 24 December, Christmas Day is 25 December and Boxing Day is 26 December. These are the next six years.
| Year | 24 Dec | 25 Dec | 26 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 2027 | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| 2028 | Sun | Mon | Tue |
| 2029 | Mon | Tue | Wed |
| 2030 | Tue | Wed | Thu |
| 2031 | Wed | Thu | Fri |
Common questions
How many days until Christmas 2026?
Christmas Day 2026 is on Friday 25 December. Counting from 1 October it is 85 days away, from 1 November it is 54 days and from 1 December it is 24 days. The countdown above gives today's exact figure.
Does the countdown include Christmas Day itself?
No. It counts the whole days between today and the date you pick, so on 24 December it shows 1 day, and on Christmas Day it shows 0 and tells you it is today. The figure matches the usual countdown on a Christmas calendar.
How many sleeps until Christmas?
A sleep is one night, so the number of sleeps equals the number of days to go. With 1 day left, there is 1 sleep: Christmas Eve night. The calculator shows the sleeps count next to the days so children can follow along.
What day of the week is Christmas each year?
Christmas Day moves forward one weekday each year, and two weekdays after a leap year. It is a Friday in 2026, a Saturday in 2027 and a Monday in 2028, because 2028 is a leap year. The table on this page lists the weekdays up to 2031.
Why do some countries celebrate Christmas on 7 January?
Several Orthodox churches, such as the Russian and Serbian churches, still use the Julian calendar for religious dates. Between 1901 and 2099 its 25 December falls on 7 January in the Gregorian calendar. Other Orthodox churches use a revised calendar and keep 25 December.
How many working days are left before Christmas?
The calculator counts Monday to Friday from today up to the day before the date you chose. It does not remove public holidays or company shutdown days, so subtract those yourself. For any other range, use the business days calculator.
What are the Christmas Eve and Boxing Day options for?
They let you count down to 24 December or 26 December instead. Christmas Eve is when many families open gifts or hold a dinner. Boxing Day on 26 December is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries, and is called St Stephen's Day in Ireland.
Does my time zone change the countdown?
The countdown uses your device's date, so it follows the calendar where you are. Christmas Day starts in New Zealand about 18 hours before it starts on the US East Coast, so people in those places reach 0 on different real-world moments.