How many days until Christmas?

Christmas is a fixed-date holiday: it always lands on December 25, so only the day of the week changes from year to year.

Christmas marks the traditional celebration of the birth of Jesus, but it is now observed by billions of people of many backgrounds as a cultural holiday centred on family, gift-giving, food, and time off work.

Most modern Christmas traditions — decorated trees, stockings, Santa Claus, and exchanging presents on the morning of the 25th — took their current shape in the 19th century and spread worldwide through the 20th century.

In the United States, Christmas is a federal holiday, so government offices, banks, schools, and most businesses close on December 25. Many countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania mark it as a public holiday too, and several add a second day — Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day — on December 26.

Customs vary widely: some families open gifts on Christmas Eve and others on Christmas morning, while shared threads include decorated trees, lights, festive meals, carols, and time with family. The modern image of Santa Claus, the Christmas card, and the decorated indoor tree all spread during the 1800s and now reach far beyond their religious origins.