How many days until Christmas?
United Kingdom: a live countdown to the day the presents actually come — from Father Christmas.
Christmas falls on a Friday.
Friday, 25 December 2026
Christmas 2026 planner: last posting dates and bank holidays
The dates that decide whether cards and presents arrive: Royal Mail's 2026 inland posting dates and the bank holidays, each with its source. What is not confirmed yet is listed below.
Advent Sunday
The next Advent Sundays are 6, 13 and 20 December.
Letters to Santa via Royal Mail (Wednesday)
Post by this date for a reply. Address: Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ, with a stamp and your full name and address on the back of the envelope.
Royal Mail: Letters to Santa (post by 9 December 2026)Royal Mail 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For (Friday)
Last recommended posting date within the UK.
Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026Royal Mail Tracked 48 (Saturday)
Last recommended posting date within the UK.
Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026Royal Mail 1st Class, 1st Class Signed For and Tracked 24 (Monday)
Parcelforce express48 and express48large also have 21 December.
Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026Parcelforce express10, expressAM and express24 (Tuesday)
Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed (Wednesday)
Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026Christmas Day (Friday)
Bank holiday in all four nations. Royal Mail has no collections or deliveries.
Royal Mail: service updates (no collections or deliveries on 25 December 2026)Boxing Day (Saturday)
Falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December.
GOV.UK: UK bank holidaysBoxing Day substitute bank holiday (Monday)
GOV.UK: UK bank holidays
Working days are Monday to Friday from tomorrow up to Christmas Eve. No bank holiday falls on a weekday before Christmas in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, St Andrew's Day (Monday 30 November) is a bank holiday and is not deducted here.
Not confirmed yet
- Royal Mail international and forces (BFPO) last posting dates for Christmas 2026 are on the same Royal Mail page and are earlier than the inland dates; we do not copy them here until we have checked each one on the page itself.
Sources
- GOV.UK: UK bank holidays
- Royal Mail: last posting dates for Christmas 2026
- Royal Mail: service updates (no collections or deliveries on 25 December 2026)
- Royal Mail: Letters to Santa (post by 9 December 2026)
Checked on 15 October 2026.
Other dates
- Christmas Eve
- Thursday, 24 December 2026
- New Year
- Friday, 1 January 2027
How many days until Christmas?
The answer is on the clock above: days, hours, minutes and seconds to December 25, based on your device's time. It updates itself every second.
When does Father Christmas come?
On the night of December 24, Christmas Eve. Children hang stockings and find presents on Christmas morning.
Are Christmas Day and Boxing Day bank holidays?
Yes, December 25 and Boxing Day, December 26, are bank holidays across the UK.
What is the last posting date for Christmas 2026?
Royal Mail lists these inland dates: 2nd Class on Friday 18 December, Tracked 48 on Saturday 19 December, 1st Class and Tracked 24 on Monday 21 December, Special Delivery Guaranteed on Wednesday 23 December. Dates are subject to change, so check the Royal Mail page.
How many sleeps until Christmas?
The clock above counts it live to Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. To Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, it is one sleep fewer.
Is Christmas Eve a bank holiday in the UK?
No. The bank holidays are Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day, which moves to Monday 28 December in 2026 because 26 December is a Saturday (GOV.UK).
How many working days are left until Christmas?
The counter above shows it live: Monday to Friday from tomorrow up to Christmas Eve. No bank holiday falls on a weekday before Christmas in England, Wales or Northern Ireland; in Scotland, 30 November is one.