WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday declaring Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and the day after Christmas (Dec. 26) federal holidays for 2025, giving federal employees additional time off.
The order applies only for 2025 and does not permanently add these dates to the federal holiday calendar. Federal offices will close on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, in addition to Christmas Day, which is already a federal holiday. Certain employees involved in national security, defense, or essential public services may still be required to work.
The executive order affects only federal government offices. It does not require private businesses, banks, or state and local governments to close. It also does not change the list of annually recognized federal holidays, which includes New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Presidents from both parties have granted federal employees extra time off around Christmas in the past. George W. Bush declared Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2001 and 2007, Barack Obama gave Dec. 24 off in 2012 and Dec. 26 off in 2014, Trump declared Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and President Joe Biden gave federal workers Dec. 24 off in 2024.
This year, federal employees will receive two additional days off around Christmas, a situation that has not occurred in recent years.
