Christmas Day in Canada
In 2024 Christmas Day is on Wednesday, December 25th.
According to our holiday poll, Christmas is Canada's favourite holiday by far - over twice as popular as Canada Day.
This is not a big surprise, there is something about Christmas that most people find attractive - whether it's the smell of gingerbread cookies, eggnog or the excitement of tearing open gifts.
Christmas, according to christianity, is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ but this holiday is widely celebrated by non-religous people as well.
In Canada, Christmas Day is a federal statutory holiday in every province and territory as it is in most other countries in the world. It is followed by Boxing Day on December 26.
Christmas on the weekend?
Christmas day in 2023 is on Monday. The means there is an automatic 4 day long weekend for many people who work Monday - Friday normally. This makes holiday planning very straightforward. When Christmas is on the weekend that's when things get a little more confusing. You can read more here: Christmas on the weekend.
Christmas traditions
Christmas family traditions
Many families have their own, unique, traditions that they follow each year. Some people put up a christmas tree on the same day every year, others cook the same meal and visit the same group of people - friends or relatives - on the same day.
In Canada most families put up a tree in early December and also decorate their houses (inside as well as outside) using christmas lights, ornaments, and other decorative objects that are otherwise kept in a box in the closet. But enough about what "everybody" does - what's your story? How do you celebrate Christmas?
And what do you think about the commercialization of this holiday? Take our poll: When should stores start selling Christmas gear?
Spending the holidays away from home?
More people travel around New Year's Eve than around Christmas but still, Christmas vacation packages are very popular. Common and popular destinations include the southern United States such as Las Vegas, Hawaii or Miami, Cuba and Mexico (people go great lenghts just to take a break from shoveling snow!) and many overseas destinations such as France, the UK, Sweden and Italy.
If you're planning to fly this year, remember that holiday high prices generally start on the December 17th or 18th (not the 25th) and stay in effect until January 2nd or 3rd. Also, this will sound as a broken record but...be sure to arrive early at your airport - line ups will be long!
Share your Christmas traditions with us - what do you and your family and friends do around The Holidays? Do you bake a special cake? Do you sing Christmas carols together? A snowball fight with your neighbours? Are your Christmas lights the brightest on the block?
Christmas hoildays 2021 fall on a saturday and sunday, boxing day and christmas day. Does that mean we get two days off
So much about a Christmas dinner with my family with Covid lockdowns in place :(
When you work Monday thru Saturday and Boxing Day is a stat holiday and it falls on a Saturday are we to get another day off IE: the following Monday.
Please let us know .
So Christmas 2018 falls on a Tuesday. The Company that you work for has a planned 2 week shut down. Christmas and New Years are in that planned 2 week shut down. Do you get paid for Christmas Day and New Years Day?
What are the legal holidays for Christmas 2017
are we leagally just off Monday 26th december
I'm not sure why virtually all of the comments are about what days you might get in lieu if Christmas is on a weekend. In keeping with the subject at the top of this comments page, I'm a senior living alone but with many (all very much grown) siblings, and my Mom usually coming to Calgary from PEI for much of the Christmas/New Years season. So our traditions revolve around decorating, visiting, some family doing midnight Mass, some siblings sharing Christmas dinner, etc. Personally, I enjoy eggnog and various nuts in the shell during the season because we had them as kids. There are many of us so we don't really do gift exchange, just cards. The only personal gift exchange is with my son and very young grandson at his place along with my step-daughter and her two kids, usually an evening with dinner just after Christmas Day. Watching some traditional Christmas movies throughout the season with a nicely decorated, well lit tree, crackling fireplace and eggnog (spiked a bit, eh?) just about rounds things out!