57 sleeps until Christmas
Christmas morning: Fri, Dec 25, 2026Counting tonightCounted on your own date
Counting tonight, there are 57 sleeps until Christmas morning on Friday, December 25, 2026. It's the same as the number of days left, so on Christmas Eve there's 1 sleep to go. That's 8 weeks and 1 day.
Sleeps to mark on the calendar
| Sleeps left | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 50 sleeps | Thursday, November 5 | |
| 30 sleeps | Wednesday, November 25 | |
| 24 sleeps | Tuesday, December 1 | First door of the Advent calendar |
| 14 sleeps | Friday, December 11 | Two weeks to go |
| 10 sleeps | Tuesday, December 15 | |
| 7 sleeps | Friday, December 18 | One week to go |
| 3 sleeps | Tuesday, December 22 | |
| 2 sleeps | Wednesday, December 23 | |
| 1 sleep | Thursday, December 24 | Christmas Eve, the last sleep |
What counts as a sleep
One sleep is one night in bed. Go to sleep tonight, wake up tomorrow, and that's one. So the sleeps until Christmas are the nights between now and Christmas morning, which comes out the same as the number of days. On Christmas Eve there's 1 sleep left, and on Christmas morning there are none.
The number changes at midnight on your own device, so it's already one lower when the kids wake up. Some families leave Christmas Eve out and make their number one smaller. Either way is fine, as long as everyone in the house counts the same way.
Counting down with kids
Counting sleeps is the usual way to do it with small children in the UK, and plenty of American families count the same way. A three-year-old can't do much with "57 days", but they know what bedtime is.
A paper chain is the classic. Make one link for each sleep, and your child tears one off at bedtime. Starting tonight, that's 57 links. Start on December 1 instead and it's 24, a much easier number to cut out.
An Advent calendar counts the same nights. Door 1 opens on December 1, when there are 24 sleeps to go, and the last door opens on Christmas Eve, with one sleep left.
If you'd like the number on your phone, the Countdown app for iPhone counts down to any date; with Pro it can sit on your Lock Screen.
Questions people ask
How many sleeps until Christmas?
As of Thursday, October 29, 2026, there are 57 sleeps until Christmas morning, counting tonight. That's the same as the number of days to Friday, December 25, 2026, or 8 weeks and 1 day.
Is Christmas Eve one sleep or zero?
One. The night of December 24 is the last sleep, and when you wake up it's Christmas. So on Christmas Eve the count is 1, and on Christmas morning it's 0.
How many sleeps are there from December 1 to Christmas?
Twenty-four. That's the nights from December 1 to Christmas morning, counting the night of December 1 itself, and it matches the 24 doors of an Advent calendar.
Why does another site show one more sleep?
It's probably counting today as well, or counting to the end of Christmas Day rather than the morning. This page counts nights: tonight is the first and Christmas Eve is the last.
When does the number go down?
At midnight on your own device's clock, in your own time zone. A child who checks at bedtime and again at breakfast will see it one lower in the morning.
More Christmas counts
The Christmas countdown has the days, hours and minutes, with a live clock. For the grown-up side of the planning, see how many weekends until Christmas and how many Fridays until Christmas. Every other count on the site is on the list of all countdowns.