The season at a glance
Hover over or tap a gold day to see what it is.
November 2026
- 26: Thanksgiving (US)
- 27: Black Friday
- 29: Advent Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent
- 30: Cyber Monday
December 2026
- 1: Advent calendars start
- 4: Hanukkah begins at sundown
- 6: St Nicholas Day
- 13: St Lucia Day
- 18: Last school day before the break in many places
- 21: Winter solstice, the shortest day in the northern hemisphere
- 24: Christmas Eve
- 25: Christmas Day, and Quaid-e-Azam Day in Pakistan
- 26: Boxing Day, and the first day of Kwanzaa
- 31: New Year's Eve
January 2027
- 1: New Year's Day
- 6: Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day
- 7: Orthodox Christmas
Using the calendar
Add your own dates alongside these: school break, office party, travel days and the last posting day for your carrier. The key dates list has live countdowns for each one, and the shipping deadlines page has every carrier's cut-off.
The 2026 Christmas season at a glance
This Christmas calendar for 2026 shows the three months of the season side by side: November, December and January. Gold days are key dates, red is Christmas Day, and today has a green outline. Days that have passed fade out, so the calendar doubles as a Christmas countdown calendar.
Hover over or tap a gold day to see what it is. The list under each month gives the same dates in writing.
November 2026
November opens the season. Halloween weekend runs into 1 November, Stir-up Sunday is 22 November, and US Thanksgiving is Thursday 26 November. The next day is Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday on the 28th, Advent Sunday on the 29th and Cyber Monday on the 30th. It is the busiest week of the year for shopping. See shopping days until Christmas.
December 2026
Advent calendars open on Tuesday 1 December. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday 4 December. St Nicholas Day is Sunday 6 December and St Lucia Day is Sunday 13 December. Many schools break up on Friday 18 December, the winter solstice is Monday 21 December, and Christmas Eve is Thursday 24 December. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December, followed by Boxing Day and the first day of Kwanzaa on Saturday 26 December, and New Year's Eve on Thursday 31 December.
January 2027
New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day, is Wednesday 6 January, traditionally the twelfth day of Christmas and the day decorations come down. Orthodox Christmas follows on Thursday 7 January. The New Year countdown runs live.
For a list with a countdown next to every date, see Christmas key dates 2026.
Questions people ask
Quick answers about this countdown.
What day is Christmas 2026?
Friday 25 December 2026.
When do advent calendars start in 2026?
Tuesday 1 December 2026. Advent Sunday, the church start of Advent, is 29 November.
When is the twelfth day of Christmas?
Traditionally 5 or 6 January, depending on how you count. Epiphany is 6 January.
Keep exploring
More countdowns, tools and Christmas reading on Christmas Days Left.