Did Trump declare Christmas Eve a Federal Holiday in 2025? Here's what we know
Posted on: Dec 19, 2025 07:08 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
chair Donald Trump has issued an executive order declaring Christmas Eve (December 24) and the day after Christmas (December 26) as days off for most federal employees, effectively granting an extended holiday break around Christmas this year.
This will give a four-day break for many government workers, amid broader political and morale-boosting efforts following a prolonged government shutdown earlier this year.
However, as opposed to media coverage reporting it as “federal holidays”, the holidays only apply for the year 2025 and are not a permanent addition to the official federal holiday calendar.
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According to Trump's directive, most federal offices will be closed on Christmas Eve, giving civil servants a multi-day winter break that bookends the already-established Christmas Day holiday on December 25.
Trump had also granted Christmas Eve off for federal workers during his first administration in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and President Biden did so for 2024.
Federal employees normally already receive Christmas Day off as one of the 11 official federal holidays defined by Congress. These statutory holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day, are codified in law by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and cannot be altered permanently by executive order alone.
Therefore, the President can only grant additional days off to federal staff on a one-time basis through executive action. That is what Trump has done for 2025, but the order does not make December 24 or December 26 permanent fixtures on the federal holiday calendar beyond this year.
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Private sector employees are not legally obligated to get these days off because this order is temporary, unless their employers decide to comply with government closures.
In the private sector, employment contracts and corporate policy usually regulate holiday pay and time off rather than governmental decrees.
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