Christmas Eve

What Is Christmas Eve?

December 24th is Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas Day. "Eve" comes from "even," an old English word for evening, so the name simply means "the evening of Christmas." In the church calendar a day begins at sunset, which means Christmas has already started by dusk on the 24th. Strictly speaking, then, the Eve is not the day before -- it is the first few hours of Christmas itself.

From a Night of Prayer to a Night with Family

The Bible does not record the date of Jesus's birth, but Christians have long marked the Nativity on December 25th. The church also keeps a season of preparation before it, called Advent: roughly four weeks beginning on the Sunday nearest November 30th, counted down by lighting one more candle each week or opening one window a day on an Advent calendar. Then, following the church reckoning of the day, worship (Mass in the Catholic Church), prayer and feasting begin on the evening of the 24th. Over time the evening grew beyond its religious meaning into a night for sharing a table with family and close friends, celebrated around the world.

What Shaped Christmas Eve in Japan

• Strawberry shortcake: The confectioner Fujiya is credited with popularizing it as a Christmas cake from around 1922. White cream topped with red strawberries became the standard Christmas cake style in Japan.
• Fried chicken: KFC Japan's 1974 nationwide campaign, "Kentucky for Christmas," turned a fast-food bucket into a holiday fixture.
• Illuminations: Shopping complexes and tree-lined streets light up across the country, in some cities from November through January.
• Santa Claus: The custom of presents delivered to children spread from the Meiji era onward and settled in as a household event.

The Two Busiest Days of the Year for Pastry Shops

Christmas cakes are sold mostly by advance order, and December 24th and 25th can decide a bakery's year. Smaller cakes for one or two people, and versions meant to be picked up early and frozen, have multiplied in recent years as household sizes change. Chicken works the same way: reservations open in November.

Christmas Does Not End on the 25th

In Japan the decorations flip to New Year's mode on December 26th, but in the church calendar Christmas begins on the 25th rather than ending there. The Christmas season continues into January, which is why households in Europe and North America often leave the tree up well past New Year's. Japan's abrupt overnight change of season is, internationally speaking, quite unusual.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Have dinner with family and write letters to Santa with the kids
• Go out to an illumination spot and enjoy the night view
• Host a small party with friends and exchange gifts
• Attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service at a church

One Night a Year When the Evening Is the Point

Christmas Eve is one of the few occasions when the night itself, rather than the day, is the event. In 2026 it falls on a Thursday -- a good excuse to take the long way home and walk through the lit-up streets.