December 25 is day 359 of the year, or 360 in a leap year, with six days remaining after it. It is Christmas Day. It falls on a Saturday in 2027 and a Monday in 2028.
The date has an unusual concentration of coronations and endings. Charlemagne was crowned in Rome in 800 and William the Conqueror at Westminster in 1066, both on December 25.
Nearly twelve centuries later, on December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union, which was formally dissolved the following day.
Table of Contents
What day of the week is December 25?
December 25 is day 359 in a common year and day 360 in a leap year, because it follows February 29.
| Year | Day of week |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday |
| 2027 | Saturday |
| 2028 | Monday |
| 2029 | Tuesday |
| 2030 | Wednesday |
| 2031 | Thursday |
| 2032 | Saturday |
| 2033 | Sunday |
| 2034 | Monday |
| 2035 | Tuesday |
The weekday matters more here than on most dates, because Christmas Day is a fixed-date federal holiday and the observance shifts when it lands on a weekend.
In 2027, December 25 is a Saturday, so the federal closure moves back to Friday, December 24. The 2032 Saturday produces the same result.
Observances on December 25
| Observance | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day | International | US federal holiday |
| Quaid-e-Azam Day | Pakistan | Birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah |
| Constitution Day | Taiwan | |
| Hanukkah, some years | Jewish | Begins at sundown December 24 in 2027 |
| National Pumpkin Pie Day | United States |
Christmas is one of the few days in the year when most large American retailers close entirely.
Orthodox churches following the Julian calendar mark the Nativity on January 7 rather than December 25.
Historical events on December 25
336 — The first documented celebration of Christmas on December 25 took place in Rome, recorded in a list of Roman bishops compiled in 354 (Simple English Wikipedia; multiple).
800 — Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, an event conventionally treated as the founding of the Holy Roman Empire (Wikipedia; HistoryNet).
1066 — William the Conqueror was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey, ten weeks after the Battle of Hastings (Wikipedia; HistoryNet).
1223 — Saint Francis of Assisi assembled what is generally described as the first Nativity scene, at Greccio in Italy (Wikipedia).
1758 — Halley’s Comet passed Earth, appearing exactly as Edmond Halley had predicted decades earlier. Halley had died in 1742 and did not live to see the return that confirmed his calculation (Wikipedia).
1776 — George Washington crossed the Delaware River with the Continental Army. The crossing took place on the night of December 25 to 26; the Battle of Trenton was fought on the morning of December 26 (Wikipedia; History.com; Associated Press).
1926 — Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father Yoshihito (Associated Press, via Fox News “This Day in History”).
1968 — Apollo 8 performed the first successful trans-Earth injection, sending the crew out of lunar orbit and back toward Earth after becoming the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon (CalendarZ; NASA mission record).
1991 — Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. The union was formally dissolved the following day (History.com; Associated Press).
A note on precision: Washington’s crossing is frequently dated to December 25 and the Battle of Trenton to the same day. They are separate. The army crossed overnight and fought the following morning.
Notable births on December 25
| Year | Person | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| 1642 | Isaac Newton | English mathematician and physicist |
| 1899 | Humphrey Bogart | American actor |
| 1918 | Anwar Sadat | President of Egypt |
| 1949 | Sissy Spacek | American actress |
| 1954 | Annie Lennox | Scottish singer |
| 1971 | Justin Trudeau | Prime Minister of Canada |
Newton’s birth date needs the qualification that is almost always omitted.
He was born on December 25, 1642 by the Julian calendar then in use in England — which corresponds to January 4, 1643 in the Gregorian calendar the rest of Catholic Europe had already adopted.
Both dates are correct; they describe the same day under different systems. England did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752.
Zodiac sign and birthstone for December 25
December 25 falls under Capricorn, which begins at the December solstice and runs to about January 19.
The date sits three days past the Capricorn boundary, which makes it close enough to warrant a note.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Sign dates | About December 22 to January 19 |
| Element | Earth |
| Birthstones | Turquoise, zircon, tanzanite |
| Birth flowers | Narcissus and holly |
The Capricorn boundary is not fixed, because it tracks the December solstice, which moves by several hours each year and by a full day across the leap cycle.
The solstice falls on December 21 in 2027 and December 21 in 2028, so December 25 is unambiguously Capricorn in both — but sources publishing a December 22 start date are describing an average, not a rule.
How many days until December 25?
The next December 25 falls on a Saturday in 2027, with the federal holiday observed on Friday, December 24. It is day 359 of the year, leaving six days remaining after it.
December 25 is 364 days after the previous December 26 and exactly one week before New Year’s Day.
Frequently asked questions
What day of the week is December 25, 2027?
Saturday. Because Christmas Day is fixed to December 25 and falls on a Saturday in 2027, the federal holiday is observed on Friday, December 24. That Friday is also the first night of Hanukkah, which begins at sundown.
Was Jesus born on December 25?
The date is not recorded in the Gospels and is not claimed as a birth date by historians. December 25 was established as the date of celebration rather than derived from evidence; the first documented observance was in Rome in 336. Several theories account for the choice, none of them settled.
Was Isaac Newton born on Christmas Day?
Yes and no, depending on the calendar. He was born December 25, 1642 by the Julian calendar England used at the time, which is January 4, 1643 by the Gregorian calendar. England did not switch until 1752. Both dates describe the same day.
