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Federal workers will get Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas off from work in 2025, President Donald Trump declared in an executive order on Thursday, December 18.
"All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, the day before and the day following Christmas Day, respectively," said the order.
In the United States, Christmas Day is the only federal holiday that is also a religious holiday. Christmas Eve and December 26 are not normally federal holidays. Around the world, many countries have Christmas Eve or December 26 ("Boxing Day") as public holidays, along with other faith-based public holidays during the year.
While it is unusual for the president to declare both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas a federal holiday, the process of adding additional federal holidays around Christmas time is not entirely unprecedented.
In past years, presidents have made Christmas Eve a half day of work or full-day off of work for federal employees, although employees are usually told about this more than a week in advance.
Trump himself, during his first term, made Christmas Eve a full day off for federal workers.
The timing of Christmas likely plays a role in the decision to declare two additional federal holidays. This year, Christmas Day is on a Thursday. As the publication Axios notes, the last time Christmas was on a Thursday, the then-President Barack Obama gave federal workers the day after Christmas off as a federal holiday.
