How do I use the Christmas countdown?
- Open the page. The clock starts counting from your device's date and time; there is nothing to enter.
- Read the live countdown in days, hours, minutes and seconds until midnight on Christmas morning.
- Check the planning numbers: sleeps, weeks and days, business days and shopping weekends left. They update by themselves at midnight.
How is the countdown to Christmas calculated?
The whole-day numbers subtract today's calendar date from December 25, so daylight saving time cannot add or remove a day. The ticking clock shows the time left until your local midnight tonight, plus the full days after that. On Christmas Day the page says so, and from December 26 everything switches to next year's Christmas automatically. Business days use the same rules as our business days calculator: weekends and observed U.S. federal holidays are skipped.
Worked examples
Example 1: from a set date in November
On Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM, the clock reads 51 days, 14 hours, 0 minutes to midnight on Christmas morning. In whole days that is 52 days (7 weeks and 3 days), with 35 business days and 7 Saturdays left after Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are skipped.
Example 2: the first door of an Advent calendar
On Tuesday, December 1, 2026 there are 24 days to go, which is why Advent calendars have 24 doors: the last one is opened on Christmas Eve. 17 of those days are working days.
Example 3: the day after Christmas
On December 26, 2026 the countdown rolls over to Saturday, December 25, 2027: 364 days, exactly 52 weeks. Christmas 2027 is a Saturday, so the federal holiday is observed on Friday, December 24, 2027.
What day is Christmas in 2026, 2027 and 2028?
| Year | Christmas Day | Federal holiday observed | Thanksgiving | Black Friday / Cyber Monday | First Sunday of Advent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, December 25, 2026 | Same day | November 26, 2026 | November 27, 2026 / November 30, 2026 | November 29, 2026 |
| 2027 | Saturday, December 25, 2027 | December 24, 2027 | November 25, 2027 | November 26, 2027 / November 29, 2027 | November 28, 2027 |
| 2028 | Monday, December 25, 2028 | Same day | November 23, 2028 | November 24, 2028 / November 27, 2028 | December 3, 2028 |
Christmas is day 359 of a common year and day 360 of a leap year. It has been a U.S. federal holiday since 1870.
How many working and shopping days are left?
Scheduling end-of-year shifts, payroll or a project deadline? Count only business days, and remember many workplaces also close on Christmas Eve or the day after Thanksgiving. Shipping carriers such as USPS, UPS and FedEx publish their holiday cut-off dates each autumn, so check them against the business days figure above rather than the calendar days. Track holiday hours with the time card calculator, or see the work hours in December. For other holidays or your own date, use the days until calculator, or the New Year countdown.