How Many Days Until Advent 2026?
Counting down to Advent 2026 on Sunday, November 29, 2026, in your local timezone.
Advent 2026 begins on Sunday, November 29, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It marks the official start of the Christmas season for hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide, and for everyone else it marks something simpler: the point where counting down to Christmas stops being early and starts being the whole point.
When does Advent 2026 start?
Advent always opens on the fourth Sunday before December 25, which means the date moves every year within a one week window, from November 27 at the earliest to December 3 at the latest. In 2026 that fourth Sunday lands on November 29, giving this Advent a near maximum run of 26 days before Christmas morning.
The four Advent Sundays of 2026:
- First Sunday of Advent: November 29
- Second Sunday: December 6, which doubles as St. Nicholas Day
- Third Sunday (Gaudete Sunday): December 13
- Fourth Sunday: December 20, five days before Christmas
Advent calendar vs. liturgical Advent
The chocolate calendar in your kitchen runs December 1 to 24, every year, regardless of what the church calendar says. That fixed 24 day version was a printing convenience that became the global standard, and it is why the calendar you buy never quite matches the Advent your church announces. Both countdowns end at the same place, so nobody really argues. If your household counts by calendar doors, our sleeps until Christmas counter tracks the same number live.
What the four candles mean
The Advent wreath holds four candles, one lit each Sunday: traditionally hope, peace, joy and love. Three are purple or blue, and the third, for joy, is rose colored, which is why the third Sunday is nicknamed Gaudete, Latin for rejoice. A fifth white candle in the center, the Christ candle, is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
From Advent to Christmas
Once Advent begins, the season compresses fast: 26 days from the first candle to Christmas, with St. Nicholas Day on December 6, the winter solstice on December 21, and Christmas Eve capping it off. The master clock is always our live Christmas countdown, and the full season calendar lives on the key dates page.
Planning ahead? Browse every key Christmas date, use the Christmas planning guides, or watch the live Christmas countdown.