Christmas Day 2026 in Canada

On December 25, people across Canada celebrate Christmas, a nationwide public holiday. For Christians, it honors the birth of Jesus, while for many others, it is a time for family meals, winter traditions, and festive gatherings.

Is Christmas Day a Public Holiday?

This is a public holiday observed in all Canadian provinces and territories.

When Is Christmas Day in Canada?

Christmas Day is celebrated in Canada every year on December 25.

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What’s Open, What’s Closed?

It is a nationwide public holiday, meaning most businesses, government offices, and schools are closed nationwide.

• Schools close for the winter break, typically from late December to early January (dates vary by province).
• Government offices, banks, and postal services are closed.
• Retail stores are generally closed, though some convenience shops and restaurants in larger cities may open for limited hours.
• Public transit often runs on a holiday or reduced schedule, depending on the city.

When the holiday falls on a weekend, Canadians may receive a substitute day off on the nearest working day before or after Christmas, depending on employment rules and the laws of their province or territory.

How Do Canadians Celebrate Christmas?

Christmas in Canada is a religious and cultural celebration. In Christian tradition, it marks the birth of Jesus, but it is also a time for family gatherings, giving, and winter fun.

Common Christmas Traditions

• Gift Giving and Santa Claus: Children receive gifts from Santa Claus, called Père Noël in French-speaking areas. Many also take part in Canada Post’s long-standing “Write a Letter to Santa” program, where children send letters to Santa and receive a reply.
• Decorations: Homes, streets, and city centers are decorated with lights, wreaths, and Christmas trees.
• Religious Services: Many attend Midnight Mass or Christmas Day church services to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.
• Festive Meals: Traditional meals often include roast turkey or ham, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and desserts like butter tarts, fruitcake, and shortbread.
• White Christmases are frequent in Ontario, Québec, and other central/eastern provinces. In contrast, milder coastal regions like parts of British Columbia are less likely to see snow. Many Canadians enjoy ice skating, sledding, and the occasional snowball fight.

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Regional Customs

• Québec and French-speaking areas: Families may celebrate Le Réveillon, a late-night Christmas Eve meal, often followed by Midnight Mass. A typical dish is tourtière, a meat pie.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: People celebrate with mummering, where they visit homes in costume, singing or acting out skits. Tibb’s Eve, on December 23, is a lively tradition marking the start of Christmas celebrations with music, gatherings, and festive cheer.
• Multicultural celebrations: Canada’s diversity means many families blend Canadian customs with traditions from their cultural or religious backgrounds. In some communities, Indigenous Peoples observe winter feasts or ceremonies alongside Christmas.

History of Christmas in Canada

Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous Peoples across Canada marked the winter season with special ceremonies, storytelling, and community gatherings.

One of the first links to Christmas in Canada was in 1641, when Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf wrote the Huron Carol (Jesous Ahatonhia) in the Huron-Wendat language. The song told the Nativity story using images familiar to the Huron: Jesus wrapped in a rabbit skin, placed in a bark lodge, and visited by hunters and chiefs offering fur pelts. The carol has been passed down for centuries and is still sung today.

In the 1600s and 1700s, French and British colonists brought Christmas traditions such as Midnight Mass, carols, festive meals, and eventually Christmas trees.

The first recorded Christmas tree in Canada was in 1781 in Québec City, when a German officer decorated one for a gathering. The idea spread, and the Christmas tree became a central holiday symbol.

By the mid-1800s, Christmas in Canada reflected a blend of Indigenous winter traditions and customs from French, British, German, and Scandinavian communities.

The Victorian era also left a lasting imprint on Canadian Christmas traditions. Popular works such as Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol helped shape the holiday as a family-centered celebration and reinforced ideals of generosity and charity that continue to influence Canadian celebrations today.

Over time, these early influences were joined by later multicultural contributions, shaping the diverse holiday celebrated across the country.

Christmas was formally recognized as a statutory holiday in the late 19th century, reflecting its importance both as a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus and as a broader cultural tradition in Canada.

Symbols and Public Events

Across Canada, Christmas is marked not only by traditions at home but also by symbols and public events that bring communities together.

• Christmas Trees and Lights: Families often put up trees in early December. Many towns and cities hold public tree-lighting events.
• Winter Lights Across Canada: A federal program lights Parliament Hill in Ottawa and other government buildings nationwide during the holiday season.
• Charity and Community Spirit: At Christmas, Canadians support those in need through food drives, toy donations, and community meals.

About Christmas Day in Other Countries

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.