Christmas Day 2026 in Canada: Friday, December 25

Christmas Day dates

The date never moves: Christmas is always December 25. What changes is the weekday, and that decides whether workers get a long weekend, a substitute day or extra pay. In 2026 the holiday itself is on a weekday; in 2027 both Christmas and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, which triggers the substitute-day rules described below.

A stat holiday everywhere in Canada

Christmas Day is one of the few holidays recognized by every jurisdiction: the Canada Labour Code (for banks, airlines, telecoms, federal Crown corporations and other federally regulated employers) and the employment standards law of all ten provinces and three territories. Boxing Day is a different story, and that is where most confusion comes from:

"Not a statutory holiday" does not mean everyone works. Many employers, unions and public bodies give Boxing Day off by contract, and Nova Scotia makes it a retail closing day. It means the province's minimum standards do not require holiday pay for it. For the full list of holidays in each province, see statutory holidays in Canada.

Holiday pay in plain language

Each province calculates holiday pay its own way, but the pattern is similar:

• If you get the day off, you receive a day's holiday pay, usually based on your average daily earnings over a recent period (the period and formula differ by province).
• If you work on December 25, you usually get either premium pay (often 1.5 times your rate for hours worked) plus holiday pay, or your regular pay plus a substitute paid day off. Which option applies, and who chooses, depends on the province and your industry.
• Eligibility rules exist in several provinces: for example, having worked a minimum period for the employer or having worked your scheduled shifts before and after the holiday.

Rules for unionized workers can be better than the minimum in a collective agreement. For an exact answer, check your provincial employment standards office or, for federally regulated jobs, the Labour Program at canada.ca.

When Christmas falls on a weekend (2027)

In 2027, Christmas is on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday. People who don't normally work weekends do not simply lose the holiday:

• Federally regulated employees: under section 193 of the Canada Labour Code, when Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a non-working Saturday or Sunday, the employee gets a paid holiday on the working day immediately before or after it. An employer may substitute another day under the conditions in section 195.
• Ontario: when a public holiday falls on a day you would not normally work, you are entitled to a substitute paid day off, scheduled no later than three months after the holiday (or 12 months with your written agreement), or holiday pay for the day if you agree in writing.
• Quebec: the holiday stays on December 25; the employer cannot change the date. If it falls on your usual day off, the employer pays an indemnity or gives a paid day off on a date agreed with you.
• Manitoba: if Christmas falls on a Saturday or Sunday that is not a working day, the next regular workday is given off with holiday pay.

Federal public servants covered by Treasury Board collective agreements have a rule that moves a holiday falling on a day of rest to the first scheduled working day after it, and two consecutive holidays to the first two working days. Applied to 2027, that points to Monday, December 27, 2027 and Tuesday, December 28, 2027, but the Treasury Board does not publish these dates as a list, so confirm with your employer.

What is open and closed

In Ontario, the Retail Business Holidays Act requires most stores to close on Christmas Day. Exceptions include small shops selling only certain goods, gas stations, some pharmacies and businesses in tourist areas covered by a municipal by-law, so a handful of places do open. Nova Scotia's retail closing rules list both December 25 and December 26, 2026 as closing days. Restaurants, hospitals, emergency services and many transit systems operate on holiday schedules everywhere.

On Christmas Eve the TSX has usually closed early (at 1:00 p.m. ET on December 24, 2025); TMX publishes its 2026 holiday hours in December. See TSX holidays, Canada Post holidays and bank holidays for the full schedules.

Canada Post mailing deadlines for Christmas 2026

Canada Post's 2026 holiday sending guidelines suggest mailing by these dates for delivery before December 25. They depend on where you send from and to, so treat them as the latest safe dates, not guarantees.

Benefit payments before Christmas

Federal payments in December are scheduled so they arrive before the holidays:

• Canada child benefit: Friday, December 11, 2026.
• CPP and Old Age Security: Tuesday, December 22, 2026.

Because banks close on December 25 and 28, a direct deposit or pre-authorized payment due on those days is processed on a business day instead. See the CRA benefit payment dates and CPP payment dates for the full calendars.

Common mix-ups

• Christmas Eve is not a statutory holiday anywhere in Canada. Some employers close early; that is their choice.
• Boxing Day is not a stat holiday in most provinces, even though banks and Canada Post close.
• "Observed" days apply to institutions, not to every worker. Banks and Canada Post close on Monday, December 28, 2026, but whether you get that day off depends on your province, employer or contract.