12 Days of Christmas 2026: Dec. 25 to Jan. 5, or Dec. 26 to Jan. 6

The 12 days of Christmas 2026 start on Friday, Dec. 25, when Christmas Day is counted as day one, and day 12 is Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027. Counted from Saturday, Dec. 26, day 12 is Wednesday, Jan. 6, which is Epiphany on fixed-date calendars. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lists a feast or memorial for every one of those days, and a table puts both counts next to each feast.

What are the dates of the 12 days of Christmas in 2026?

The table gives both counts for each date. Weekdays are computed for 2026 and 2027; the feast column quotes the day titles on the USCCB’s Daily Bible Readings calendar for December 2026 and January 2027.

Date	Count from Dec. 25	Count from Dec. 26	USCCB calendar title
Fri., Dec. 25	Day 1		The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Sat., Dec. 26	Day 2	Day 1	Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr
Sun., Dec. 27	Day 3	Day 2	The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Mon., Dec. 28	Day 4	Day 3	Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Tue., Dec. 29	Day 5	Day 4	The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Wed., Dec. 30	Day 6	Day 5	The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Thu., Dec. 31	Day 7	Day 6	The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Fri., Jan. 1	Day 8	Day 7	Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Sat., Jan. 2	Day 9	Day 8	Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Sun., Jan. 3	Day 10	Day 9	The Epiphany of the Lord
Mon., Jan. 4	Day 11	Day 10	Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
Tue., Jan. 5	Day 12	Day 11	Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop
Wed., Jan. 6		Day 12	Wednesday after Epiphany

On Dec. 25 the USCCB calendar lists four Masses: Vigil, Night, Dawn and Day. Dec. 27 is a Sunday in 2026, and the calendar lists the Holy Family that day. Plan the dates on the December 2026 printable calendar and the January 2027 printable calendar.

Do the 12 days of Christmas start on Dec. 25 or Dec. 26?

Both counts are used. Counting Christmas Day as day one ends on Jan. 5. Counting from Dec. 26 ends on Jan. 6. The sources read do not say which count a church must follow, so neither is presented here as the official one.

Merriam-Webster defines Twelfth Night as “the evening or sometimes the eve of Epiphany.” With Epiphany on Jan. 6, 2027, that points to the evening of Jan. 5 or of Jan. 6. It defines Twelfth Day as Epiphany, so the Dec. 26 count ends on Twelfth Day.

When is Epiphany in 2027: Jan. 3 or Jan. 6?

It depends on the church calendar. The USCCB calendar lists The Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, and lists Jan. 6 as “Wednesday after Epiphany.” The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) calendar lists “Epiphany” on “January 6, 2027.”

Calendar	Epiphany 2027	Weekday
USCCB (U.S. Catholic)	Jan. 3	Sunday
LCMS (Lutheran)	Jan. 6	Wednesday

For churches that keep the Julian calendar, see Orthodox Christmas 2027 and Three Kings Day. The Catholic feasts for the rest of the year are in the Catholic liturgical calendar for 2027. For Jan. 1 obligations, see Holy Days of Obligation 2027.

What comes after day 12 on the U.S. Catholic calendar?

The USCCB calendar lists The Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, and Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time on Monday, Jan. 11. Those days fall outside both counts.

Is Jan. 6, 2027, a holiday?

On the Puerto Rico Department of Education’s 2026-2027 calendar, Jan. 6, 2027, is listed as “Día festivo: Día de Reyes,” a school holiday. For the Christmas run-up, see the Christmas 2026 countdown.

Printable 12 days of Christmas 2026 sheet

The one-page sheet lists each date from Dec. 25, 2026, to Jan. 6, 2027, with the day number under both counts, the days left to Jan. 6 and the USCCB title for that day.

Not confirmed: any church statement that the twelve days are exactly Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 or Dec. 26 to Jan. 6, and Church of England dates.