Christmas Countdown 2026

Christmas falls on 25 December, every year without exception. The countdown above follows your own time zone and runs to midnight on the night of 24 December, as 25 December 2026 begins.

Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Both traditions exist, and they count down to different moments:

• In the UK, Ireland and the US, presents are opened on the morning of the 25th.
• In Germany, France, Belgium and much of central Europe, the evening of the 24th is the main event.
• In Spain and parts of Latin America, the Three Kings on 6 January remain the children's gift day.

Why 25 December? No text gives a date of birth. The 25th appears in Rome in the fourth century and spreads from there, coinciding with the midwinter festivals the Julian calendar placed at that point. Orthodox churches still on the Julian calendar keep Christmas on what is now 7 January.

Public holidays. 25 December is a holiday across Europe and North America. Boxing Day on the 26th is a holiday in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and in Germany as zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag — but not in the United States, where 26 December is an ordinary working day.

Advent counts the four Sundays before Christmas, so it begins on a different date each year — between 27 November and 3 December. The chocolate advent calendar, by contrast, always starts on 1 December.

Run this countdown full screen for the children, or create your own timer for any other date.