TODAY’S ACTIVITYToday
A tiny thank-you
Make a little thank-you card for somebody who has helped you.
YOU’LL NEEDPaper and pencils
CHRISTMAS 2026 · THE COUNTDOWN IS ON
A little closer
to Christmas.
Big excitement. Little traditions. Follow the countdown, find something fun to do today, and join Santa’s magical journey on Christmas Eve.
Peek inside the workshopFree activities for families. No account needed.
✦✧✦✧✦90° N / A LITTLE IMAGINATION
At the North Pole · getting ready
MAKE EVERY SLEEP COUNT
How many sleeps until Christmas?
25 December · midnight at the start of Christmas Day, UK time
Sleeps count UK calendar nights. The clock shows the exact time left.
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A PEEK INSIDE THE NORTH POLE
There’s magic in the making.
Step inside, meet the elves and follow the preparations, one little chapter at a time.
HAPPENING NOW
Today in the toy room
Little hands. Big ideas.
The elves are getting ready for Christmas.
If you were an elf, what would you make?
A make-believe peek into Santa’s workshop. The story follows the calendar automatically; you can explore any chapter whenever you like. All dates use UK time.
THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS CLUBOne small thing.
One small thing.
A lovely little memory.
A fresh idea each day to make the wait feel a little more magical. Screen off, imagination on.
Use your browser’s bookmark or favourites button. On a computer, press Ctrl+D (Windows) or ⌘D (Mac).
THE CHRISTMAS EVE JOURNEY
The sleigh is still in the workshop.
Our animated Christmas story starts at 6am UK time on 24 December. Until then, there’s a little something festive to do every day.
- ✦North Pole
- ✦Pacific
- ✦Australia & NZ
- ✦Asia
- ✦Europe & Africa
- ✦Americas
- ✦Home
A make-believe Christmas adventure for families. Our journey is an animation, with no live radar data. We’re independent of NORAD and Google.
A LITTLE NORTH POLE PLAYTIMEPairs, please.
Pairs, please.
The elves need a hand.
Somebody mixed up the wrapping-paper patterns. Turn the cards over and find the matching pairs.
0 of 6 pairs · 0 turns
Turn over two cards. Can you find all six pairs?
A letter they’ll want to keep.
Make a personalised Santa letter, a nice-list certificate and a magic-key poem. Print your free Christmas Eve pack in a few little steps.
Make your free Santa letterA few things to know
How many sleeps until Christmas?
Choose “Christmas Day” above for the number of UK calendar nights until 25 December. There is one sleep left on Christmas Eve and zero on Christmas Day. The sleeps total changes at midnight UK time; the live clock counts the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds to the start of Christmas Day. On Boxing Day, it starts counting towards next Christmas.
Why is Santa’s journey a different countdown?
Christmas Day begins at midnight on 25 December, UK time. Our make-believe Santa journey starts earlier, at 6am on 24 December, and finishes at 6am on Christmas Day. Use the two buttons to choose what you are counting down to. Both clocks use UK time, even if you visit from another country.
When does the Santa journey start?
Our make-believe journey begins on 24 December at 6am UK time and runs until 6am on Christmas Day. The countdown updates automatically. It is a festive story, rather than a real location service.
Do I need an account?
No. The countdown, game, daily activities and printable letters are free to use without an account or email address.
What changes each day?
Today’s activity changes at midnight UK time, cycling through 31 original ideas. Every new game shuffles the cards again. Save this page in your bookmarks to find it easily tomorrow.
Who makes this site?
This is an independent family activity site from West Lancashire Creations. Our optional shop links go to our own handmade decoration business. Contact us at info@westlancashirecreations.com.
Privacy and family information
The countdown and game run in your browser. We don’t ask for a child’s location, name, photo or email. We do not use advertising pixels or personalised advertising. Our hosting provider processes ordinary connection information to deliver the site. The optional shop has its own privacy information.
Optional analytics, for grown-ups to choose: only after “Allow analytics”, Google Analytics helps us count page visits, game starts/completions, print requests and clicks to our shop. We send fixed activity labels, never names, location entries, game scores or other form content. Google receives technical connection/device details and uses browser identifiers in cookies limited to 180 days. Google signals and advertising personalisation are disabled.
Our analytics code does not contact Google before you opt in. All activities remain free and available if you choose “No thanks”. Change your choice with “Cookie settings” in the footer; withdrawing stops our analytics events and clears our Google Analytics cookies. It does not delete previously collected reports. Your choice is stored on this device for up to 180 days. Google may process information outside the UK: see Google’s privacy policy and partner-site information.