This year's Christmas is rare. See why its date is once-in-a-century.

Christmas this year is extra special, and not just because of the presents under the tree.

For the first time in a century, the date of Christmas is the same as the last two digits of the year. Meaning, when the date is written out in the month/day/year format — as 12/25/25 — the day and year are the same.

This also means that for most of the rest of the world that uses a day/month/year format for dates, writing out this year's Christmas date will consist of the same first and last numbers: 25/12/25.

While perhaps not as cool as a palindrome date — when the date reads the same forwards and backwards — it's still a fun holiday tidbit for those who love quirky dates.

Palindrome dates are also much more common than the format of this year's Christmas date. In the 21st century, there are a total of 38 palindrome dates in the month/day/year format, according to the University of Portland. Comparatively, 12/25/25 won't happen for another 100 years.