How many days until Christmas 2021? Countdown to the festive season - and how many sleeps til Santa comes?

Even though we haven’t even enjoyed the likes of Halloween yet, Christmas is starting to pop up everywhere you go, whether it’s decorations in supermarkets or loved ones asking what you’d like to see under the tree.

So how long do we have left until Christmas is upon us? This is what you need to know.

How many sleeps till Christmas?

This is how many sleeps we have left until Christmas is here.

What are some good advent calendars?

Advent calendars are one of the most beloved ways to count down the days till Christmas once we hit December, and there are a whole range of different types to choose from.

While the classic advent calendar is usually filled with chocolate, you could try going for a different one, such as:

• The M&S beauty advent calendar, which includes items like Prai 24K Gold Wrinkle Repair Night Crème and Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner
• The Lego advent calendar, where you can choose between Star Wars, Marvel or Harry Potter themes 
• The Bonne Maman conserve advent calendar, which boasts flavours such as Apricot with Bergamot Spread, Seedless Raspberry Jam and Lemon and Yuzu Marmalade
• The Lush advent calendar, which features 25 products such as Jolly Shower Gel, Twilight Bath Bomb and Cinnamon Roll Bubble Bar
• The 12 Days of Gin-Mas advent calendar from The Gin to my Tonic, with 12 50ml bottles of gin with a mix of festive, citrus and traditional flavours

Where are some good locations for a winter sun getaway?

With travel rules set to ease from October, the UK has seen a surge in holiday bookings.

As the temperatures drop lower and the nights draw in earlier, you might be thinking about getting away somewhere warm to catch a bit of winter sun.

These are the 10 destinations that are guaranteed to have winter sun, according to the Met Office:

• Marrakesh, Morocco
• Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
• Lanzarote, 
• Cyprus, Middle East
• Kos, Greece
• Algarve, Portugal
• Singapore, Asia
• Barbados, Caribbean
• Brisbane, Australia
• Madeira, Portugal

What events do we still have to go before Christmas?

The big holiday that is still to occur before we get to Christmas is Halloween, on 31 October.

Also on 31 October, the clocks will go back an hour switching the UK from British Summer Time (BST) over to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). In 2022, the clocks will go forward again on 27 March.

In terms of bank holidays, England, Wales and Northern Ireland only have Christmas day and Boxing day left - however, since the 25 and 26 of December falls on a weekend this year, the Christmas and Boxing day bank holidays will instead be shifted to 27 and 28 December.

This is known as a substitute day. If a bank holiday happens on a weekend, a substitute weekday then becomes a bank holiday, usually the following Monday.

Scotland has an extra bank holiday to enjoy before its Christmas and Boxing day bank holidays - St Andrew’s Day on 30 November.

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