"Order by December 18 for Christmas delivery." Carriers and shops publish cut-off dates every year, but they're counted in business days — and the weekend before Christmas quietly removes two of them. Here's how to work out how much time you really have.
Why business days, not days
Most carriers don't collect or deliver on Sundays (and many not on Saturdays) or on public holidays. A "3–5 business day" service ordered on a Thursday can take a full week. In 2026, Christmas Day falls on a Friday, so the last full shipping week is December 14–18.
How to count business days to Christmas
- Open the free Business Days Calculator.
- Set the start date to today (or the day you'll ship).
- Set the end date to December 24 — the last delivery day before Christmas for most carriers.
- Add any public holidays in your country to the holiday list so they're skipped.
You'll see the working days left, plus how many weekend days and holidays were excluded.
Work backwards from the deadline
Take the carrier's delivery time and count backwards from December 24:
- Standard (5 business days): send by about December 17.
- Express (2 business days): send by about December 22.
- International: often 7–10 business days or more — aim for early December.
These are examples only — always check your carrier's published cut-off dates, which come out in November and change every year.
For shops: tell customers clearly
If you sell online, put a "Order by [date] for Christmas delivery" banner on your site, calculated from your own handling time plus the carrier's. Add one business day of buffer — December warehouses are slow.
Then show a live countdown: the Christmas countdown gives days, weekdays and hours left, which is a helpful nudge for last-minute buyers.
Other dates worth counting
- Black Friday to Christmas: 28 days in 2026 (November 27 to December 25) — see the Date Difference Calculator.
- Return windows: a 30-day return policy from a November purchase may end before Christmas. Many shops extend holiday returns into January — check before you buy gifts early.
FAQ
Does Saturday count as a business day? In this calculator, no — business days are Monday to Friday. If your carrier delivers on Saturdays, you have a little more time.
What about Boxing Day and New Year? They're public holidays in many countries. Add them to the holiday list to count January deliveries correctly.
Try it now
Count your shipping days with the free Business Days Calculator.
Related reading
See How to Count Business Days Between Two Dates and How to Calculate Days Between Two Dates. Browse the full blog for more guides.