December 2027 has 31 days, running Wednesday, December 1 through Friday, December 31. It carries two federal closures — Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31 — and 21 working days.
Both closures are observances of holidays that fall on Saturdays. Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25, is observed on Friday, December 24. New Year’s Day 2028, Saturday, January 1, is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027.
Between them sit four ordinary working days — December 27, 28, 29 and 30 — which catches people out every time this pattern occurs. Bridging the whole period takes four days of annual leave, not the one or two a midweek Christmas requires.
Table of Contents
Holidays in December 2027
| Date | Day | Observance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 7 | Tuesday | Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day | Commemorative |
| December 21 | Tuesday | Winter solstice, 9:41 p.m. EST | Astronomical |
| December 24 | Friday | Christmas Day, federal observance | Federal holiday |
| December 24 | Friday | Hanukkah begins at sundown | Jewish |
| December 25 | Saturday | Christmas Day | Federal holiday, statutory date |
| December 26 | Sunday | Kwanzaa begins | Cultural |
| December 26 | Sunday | Boxing Day, not US observed | International |
| December 31 | Friday | New Year’s Day 2028, federal observance | Federal holiday |
| December 31 | Friday | New Year’s Eve | Cultural |
Hanukkah 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, December 24 and runs through nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028 (Hebcal, Hebrew year 5788). The first night falls on Christmas Eve, and the festival spans Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The four working days between the closures
| Date | Day | Federal status |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 24 | Friday | Closed, Christmas observed |
| Saturday, December 25 | Saturday | Christmas Day |
| Sunday, December 26 | Sunday | Kwanzaa begins |
| Monday, December 27 | Monday | Working day |
| Tuesday, December 28 | Tuesday | Working day |
| Wednesday, December 29 | Wednesday | Working day |
| Thursday, December 30 | Thursday | Working day |
| Friday, December 31 | Friday | Closed, New Year’s Day 2028 observed |
One thing does not close on December 31: the stock market. Under NYSE Rule 7.2 the exchange shuts on the Friday before a Saturday holiday unless that Friday ends a monthly or yearly accounting period — which December 31 does. NYSE and Nasdaq trade a full session while federal offices and banks are shut, making Friday, December 31 the last trading day of 2027 (NYSE; SEC rule filing).
December 2027 calendar closures by institution
| Institution | Fri, Dec 24 | Sat, Dec 25 | Mon–Thu, Dec 27–30 | Fri, Dec 31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Closed | Closed, weekend | Open | Closed |
| Banks and Federal Reserve | Closed | Closed, weekend | Open | Closed |
| U.S. Postal Service | No delivery | No delivery | Normal delivery | No delivery |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | Closed | Closed, weekend | Open | Open, full session |
| State and local government | Closed | Closed, weekend | Open in most states | Closed in most states |
| Public schools | Winter break | Winter break | Winter break | Winter break |
| Retail and grocery | Open, early close | Closed, most chains | Open | Open |
Christmas Day is one of the few days in the year when most large retailers close entirely.
Events in December 2027
Month-long and seasonal observances in December 2027:
- National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
- Universal Human Rights Month
- Advent, beginning Sunday, November 28, 2027
- Hanukkah, from sundown Friday, December 24
- Kwanzaa, Sunday, December 26 through Saturday, January 1, 2028
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day falls on Tuesday, December 7, 2027. It is a commemorative observance, not a federal holiday, though the flag is flown at half-staff.
Winter solstice 2027
The December solstice occurs on Tuesday, December 21, 2027 at 9:41 p.m. EST, which is 02:41 UTC on December 22. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the astronomical start of winter.
The date differs by time zone. It is December 21 across the United States and December 22 in UTC, Europe, Asia and Australia. Both describe the same instant.
Astronomical winter runs from this solstice to the March equinox on Sunday, March 19, 2028, a span of 89 days. Meteorological winter is defined differently, running December 1 through February 29 in the leap year 2028.
How many days, weeks and working days in December 2027
December 2027 has 31 days, 4 full weeks plus 3 days, 23 weekdays, and 21 working days after both federal closures are removed.
The calculation:
- December always has 31 days.
- 31 ÷ 7 gives 4 complete weeks with 3 days remaining.
- Eight of the 31 days fall on a Saturday or Sunday, leaving 23 Monday-to-Friday weekdays — the joint highest count of 2027, matched only by March.
- Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31 are both weekday closures, so 23 − 2 = 21 working days.
This is the only month in 2027 where two observed federal holidays fall on the same weekday.
December 2027 calendar weekday counts
| Weekday | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Wednesday | 5 |
| Thursday | 5 |
| Friday | 5 |
| Saturday | 4 |
| Sunday | 4 |
| Monday | 4 |
| Tuesday | 4 |
Five Fridays, two of which are federal closures.
December 2027 calendar week numbers and day-of-year positions
December 2027 spans ISO weeks 48 through 52. December 1 is day 335 of 2027 and December 31 is day 365, the final day of the year.
ISO week 52 of 2027 runs Monday, December 27 through Sunday, January 2, 2028, straddling the year boundary. Friday, December 31, 2027 is the fifth day of that week, and Saturday, January 1, 2028 is the sixth — so New Year’s Day 2028 belongs to ISO week 52 of 2027, not to week 1 of 2028.
December 2027 moon phases
Times are U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
| Phase | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | Monday, December 6 | 12:22 a.m. EST |
| Full Moon — Cold Moon | Monday, December 13 | 11:08 a.m. EST |
| Last Quarter | Monday, December 20 | 4:10 a.m. EST |
| New Moon | Monday, December 27 | 3:12 p.m. EST |
All four primary phases fall on a Monday, at exactly seven-day intervals — the same pattern November produced on Saturdays. Two consecutive months holding the alignment is unusual; the quarter interval of roughly 7 days 9 hours normally drifts a phase onto the next weekday within a few weeks.
The Cold Moon peaks at 11:08 a.m. EST on Monday, December 13, a daylight event across the continental United States, so the practical viewing nights are Sunday, December 12 and Monday, December 13.
Frequently asked questions
How many working days are in December 2027?
21, on a Monday-to-Friday schedule observing both federal closures. The month has 23 weekdays, the joint highest of 2027. Friday, December 24 and Friday, December 31 are both subtracted.
Is December 31, 2027 a holiday?
Yes for the federal government — but not for the stock market. Friday, December 31, 2027 is the federal observance of New Year’s Day 2028, so federal offices, banks and the postal service close. NYSE and Nasdaq trade a full session under the year-end exception in NYSE Rule 7.2, making December 31 the last trading day of 2027 (NYSE).
Is December 27, 2027 a working day?
Yes. Monday, December 27 through Thursday, December 30, 2027 are all ordinary federal working days. They sit between the Christmas observance on Friday, December 24 and the New Year’s observance on Friday, December 31, but carry no federal status of their own.
