About

Christmas Countdown is a small independent website. It shows exactly how long is left until Christmas Day, down to the second, and has a few things to read while you wait.

What you'll find here

The countdown on the home page runs on your own device's clock, so it reaches zero at midnight on Christmas morning wherever you are in the world. On 26 December it starts again, counting to the next Christmas.

Below the countdown you'll find a guide to how different countries celebrate, a short history of the holiday, a week-by-week planner for a calmer December, a couple of our favourite seasonal recipes, and answers to common questions about Christmas dates.

Why we made it

Most countdown sites are a plain number on a white page. We wanted one that actually looked like Christmas, something you could leave open on a laptop or the living-room TV through December. People have always counted down to Christmas in some way; before websites it was paper chains and Advent calendars.

Get in touch

Spotted a mistake, or know a tradition we should add? Send it through the contact page.