When Is Christmas 2026?

Christmas 2026 at a glance

• First Sunday of Advent: Sunday, November 29, 2026
• St. Nicholas Day: Sunday, December 6, 2026
• St. Lucia Day: Sunday, December 13, 2026
• Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24, 2026
• Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026
• Boxing Day / St. Stephen's Day: Saturday, December 26, 2026
• New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31, 2026
• New Year's Day: Friday, January 1, 2027
• Twelfth Night: Tuesday, January 5, 2027
• Epiphany: Wednesday, January 6, 2027
• Orthodox Christmas: Thursday, January 7, 2027

Is Christmas a federal holiday in the US?

Yes. Christmas Day has been a US federal holiday since 1870. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, so federal employees get the day off on Friday, December 25, creating a three-day weekend.

Banks, post offices and most government offices close on Christmas Day. Many stores are closed or keep short hours, and public transit often runs on a holiday schedule. Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday, although some employers give the afternoon or the whole day off. In some years a president has given federal workers December 24 off by executive order, but that is decided year by year.

For private employers, there is no federal law requiring Christmas Day off or holiday pay. Most companies include it as a paid holiday, but retail, hospitality and healthcare workers often work shifts on December 25.

What is open and closed on Christmas Day 2026?

In the US, expect these general patterns on Friday, December 25, 2026:

• Closed: federal and most state government offices, post offices (no regular mail delivery), banks, stock markets, most schools and most large retailers and grocery chains
• Often open: many pharmacies (some with reduced hours), some convenience stores, gas stations, movie theaters and some restaurants, especially in hotels and tourist areas
• Christmas Eve: most stores are open but often close early in the evening

Hours change from year to year and by location, so check directly with any store or service you're counting on.

Boxing Day 2026 and holidays in other countries

Boxing Day falls on Saturday, December 26, 2026, in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries that observe it. Because it lands on a weekend, many of these countries move the public holiday to the following weekday, which in 2026 means Monday, December 28. Rules vary by country and by state or province, so check your local government's official holiday list.

In Ireland, December 26 is St. Stephen's Day, and in many European countries, such as Germany and Poland, it is a second Christmas holiday.

Why is Christmas on December 25?

The Bible doesn't give a date for the birth of Jesus. By the fourth century, the church in Rome was celebrating it on December 25. Historians offer two main explanations: the date may have been chosen to coincide with a Roman festival of the sun near the winter solstice, or it may come from an early belief that Jesus was conceived on March 25, exactly nine months earlier.

For the full history, read the story of Christmas. And if you're wondering about the season after Christmas Day, our guide to the Twelve Days of Christmas explains why the celebrations traditionally run until January 5.

Why is Orthodox Christmas on January 7?

Many Orthodox churches, including the Russian, Serbian, Georgian and Ethiopian churches, and the Coptic Church in Egypt, still use the older Julian calendar to set religious holidays. They celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the Julian calendar, which currently falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar used for everyday dates.

So Orthodox Christmas for the 2026 season is on Thursday, January 7, 2027, with Christmas Eve on January 6. Not every Orthodox church follows this: the Greek, Romanian and Bulgarian churches, among others, celebrate on December 25. Ukraine officially moved its Christmas holiday to December 25 in 2023.

When is Christmas in future years?

• 2027: Saturday, December 25, 2027
• 2028: Monday, December 25, 2028
• 2029: Tuesday, December 25, 2029
• 2030: Wednesday, December 25, 2030

Christmas is always on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. Only the day of the week changes, moving forward one day each year, or two after a leap day.

Countdown and planning for Christmas 2026

With Christmas on a Friday, 2026 gives many people a long weekend. Christmas Eve on a Thursday means many offices will wind down early that week, and Boxing Day on Saturday makes Saturday a natural day for visiting family or catching post-Christmas sales.

• Late November: Start Advent traditions on November 29 and order anything that needs shipping.
• Early December: Mail cards and draw names for any gift exchanges with our Secret Santa generator.
• Mid December: Plan your menu with our Christmas dinner ideas and finish wrapping.
• Christmas week: Send Merry Christmas wishes to friends and family you won't see in person.

The exact countdown depends on today's date. Some useful markers: Christmas 2026 comes four weeks after the first Sunday of Advent on November 29, and about one month after US Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026.

Planning ahead? Mail cards and packages in early December to beat holiday shipping rushes, and see our hosting checklist for a week-by-week plan.