All countdowns

How holiday countdowns work

A holiday count tells you how many full days sit between today and the day itself. Today is not counted, and neither is the holiday, so a holiday tomorrow shows 1 day.

Every page also shows weeks, hours, sleeps and work days. They all start from the same moment, so the figures on different pages agree with each other.

Some holidays have a fixed date, like Christmas on December 25. Others follow a rule, such as the fourth Thursday of November for US Thanksgiving.

Holidays that move

Easter, Good Friday and Ash Wednesday come from the Western church calendar. They shift between late March and late April, so their counts jump from one year to the next.

Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, Hanukkah and Lunar New Year follow lunar calendars. We use published date tables for these and say so on the page, because the exact day can differ by a day between regions.

The first days of spring, summer, fall and winter are astronomical. They are set by the equinoxes and solstices, not by a fixed calendar date.

Why a countdown helps

A date on its own is hard to feel. A number of days is easier to plan with, whether you are saving for a gift, booking travel or waiting for time off.

Retailers and schools plan backwards from a holiday. A count of weeks and weekdays turns that into a list of dates you can put in a calendar.

Public holidays also change the working week. If one lands on a Monday or Friday, you get a long weekend, and the weekday pages show how many are left.

Holidays in the US, UK, Canada and Australia

The site covers the dates people search for in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Some are shared, such as Christmas Day on December 25 and New Year's Day on January 1.

Others differ by country. US Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, while Canadian Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October. Boxing Day on December 26 is a public holiday in the UK, Canada and Australia.

Fridays, weekends and work days follow one rule. A count of one weekday starts tomorrow and stops the day before the event. If Christmas is a Friday, that Friday is not in the Fridays until Christmas.

Public holidays stay in the work day counts, because they differ by country, state and employer.

Days, sleeps, weeks and work days

Days give the plain gap on the calendar. Sleeps count the nights, which is how children usually count down to Christmas or a birthday. Weeks suit longer plans, such as a trip, an exam or a due date.

Work days leave out Saturdays and Sundays, so they fit deadlines and delivery dates. Weekends and single weekdays answer what is left to enjoy or to plan. All of them use one method, so the numbers on different pages always agree.

Planning backwards from a holiday

Most holiday planning starts at the date and works back. A shipping cut-off, a booking window and a baking day each sit a set number of days before the holiday.

A count of weeks is the easiest way to see the shape of that plan. Eight weeks gives time for a slow project, while two weeks leaves room only for the essentials.

Sleeps are the unit children use, and it is the same number as the day count. A holiday that is 24 sleeps away is 24 days away.

Public holidays and observed days

A public holiday that falls on a weekend is often observed on the nearest weekday. The US moves Saturday holidays to Friday and Sunday holidays to Monday for federal staff.

The UK and Australia use a substitute day instead, so the long weekend appears on the following Monday. Our pages count to the date of the holiday itself and name the observed day in a note.

This matters for work plans. The day off may not be the day on the calendar, so check the note on the page for your country.

Choosing a holiday to count

If you are not sure where to start, the soonest holiday is at the top of the table. The next four are shown as cards above it.

Seasons are listed too. The first day of spring, summer, fall and winter are set by the sun, so they move by a day between years.