Christmas Eve
LT · 2025
About Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, observed on December 24th, is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day. In many countries, it is the primary day of Christmas celebration, with gift-giving, church services, and family gatherings taking place on the 24th rather than the 25th.
In many European and Latin American countries — including Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Brazil — Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration. German and Austrian families open presents on the evening of December 24th, a tradition that spread globally through the German Christmas tree tradition.
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is one of the most attended Catholic church services of the year worldwide, marking the moment Christmas Day begins and celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Quick Facts
- Date 2025
- December 24, 2025
- Day
- Wednesday
- Type
- Public
- Scope
- National
- Fixed Date
- No — date changes each year
- Local Name
- Šv. Kūčios
- Traditions
- Midnight Mass · Opening gifts on Christmas Eve · Family dinners · Hanging stockings for Santa
When is Christmas Eve?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025This year | December 24, 2025 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | December 24, 2026 | Thursday |
| 2027 | December 24, 2027 | Friday |
How is Christmas Eve Celebrated?
Christmas Eve celebrations vary widely by culture. In Scandinavia, it is the primary Christmas holiday with families gathering for a traditional Christmas dinner (julbord) and exchanging gifts. In Latin America, Nochebuena (Holy Night) involves festive family dinners and attending Midnight Mass.
In the UK and North America, Christmas Eve is associated with final preparations — wrapping gifts, hanging stockings, baking cookies for Santa Claus, and reading Christmas stories to children before bed.
Did You Know?
- •In Germany, Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) is considered more important than Christmas Day, and presents are traditionally opened on December 24th.
- •Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at the Vatican is broadcast internationally and attended by thousands.
- •NORAD's Santa Tracker has tracked Santa's Christmas Eve journey since 1955, after a child accidentally called a NORAD hotline.
- •'Silent Night' (Stille Nacht) was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria.
- •In Japan, Christmas Eve is celebrated as a romantic holiday similar to Valentine's Day, with couples exchanging gifts.