Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the US: Traditions and Dates 2026
Published October 24, 2026 · GiveOwl
Christmas as Americans know it took shape in the 1800s. This page follows the Hershey Story Museum's account of where the customs came from, gives the dates for 2026, and notes the other December celebrations that overlap.
Dates 2026
- Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25. OPM lists it as a federal holiday.
- St. Nicholas Day: December 6, the feast day linked to the Santa tradition.
Where the customs come from
- A slow start: According to the Hershey Story Museum, the Puritans did not bring Christmas traditions with them and thought the day frivolous. Christmas was not a legal holiday in any state until the 1830s, and not an official federal holiday until the 1870s.
- Mixed influences: Dutch settlers in New York brought Sinterklaas, who left gifts in stockings or shoes. Southern settlers were influenced by England: visiting family, a Christmas dinner of rich food and drink, games and music.
- Santa Claus: The museum says the American Santa was shaped by several traditions, most strongly Saint Nicholas. "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore was published in the Troy Sentinel in 1822. The cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa regularly in Harper's Weekly from the 1860s to the 1880s and helped to popularize the name "Santa Claus", an Americanized form of the German "Sankt Niklaus".
- The tree: The decorated Christmas tree originated in Renaissance Germany and spread with emigrants. The museum says most English settlers took little interest until 1850, when Godey's Lady's Book printed an image of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with a tree.
- Gifts: Before the 1870s and 1880s, gift-giving was not a large focus. Children left stockings or shoes out for St. Nicholas Day on December 6. During the Victorian era more elaborate presents went under the tree for Christmas Eve or morning, and the holiday became more focused on children.
- Cards: The first commercial Christmas card was made in England in 1843. A British lithography company, Prang and Mayer, brought the first cards to the U.S. in 1873. Folded cards became popular again in the 1920s after Hallmark was founded.
Other celebrations in December
Christmas is not the only celebration at this time of year. We mention two, and we link to the sources so you can read them in the words of the people who keep the traditions.
- Hanukkah: According to Hebcal, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026. It is an eight-day Jewish holiday; each evening an additional candle is lit on a nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiah.
- Kwanzaa: The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture says Kwanzaa is observed from December 26 to January 1. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and is based on seven principles. The museum notes it is a cultural holiday rather than a religious one, and the official site mentions feasts (karamu), music, dance and poetry.
Food on the table
Menus differ by family and region, and we do not claim a standard American Christmas dinner. For safe cooking and leftovers, the USDA rules in Thanksgiving 2026: date, history and pumpkin pie apply to any large holiday meal: cook poultry to 165°F, refrigerate leftovers within two hours, and use them within four days. For baking, see Christmas sugar cookies: recipe and cookie exchange tips and Gingerbread: history and a simple cookie recipe.
Take part, don't just read
Giveaways and sweepstakes around the holidays: Christmas giveaways 2026 (US) and Black Friday & 12 Days of Christmas giveaways 2026. All the dates 2026: Christmas in the US: traditions and recipes.
