Predictions for Eagles players to visit Trump at the White House Credit: Shutterstock.com
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order declaring Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025 (Christmas Eve) and Friday, Dec. 26, 2025 as, unofficially, federal holidays for this year, giving many federal employees additional time off around the Christmas holiday.
The order directs that all executive departments and agencies of the federal government shall be closed and employees excused from duty on those dates, in addition to the existing federal holiday on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
Combined with the weekend, for many workers, this results in an effectively five-day holiday break. However, according to The White House, agency heads retain discretion to require certain offices to remain open and essential employees to report for duty for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
We say "unofficially" because the designation does not permanently add Christmas Eve or Dec. 26 to the official federal holiday calendar established by Congress.
It applies only for the 2025 holiday period under the president’s authority. In order for these dates to become permanent legal federal holidays, legislation would need to be passed by Congress and signed into law by the president.
While the order affects federal employees and agencies, it does not automatically apply to private sector employers, state governments, or financial markets, according to Reuters. Major U.S. stock exchanges, including the NYSE and Nasdaq, will remain open on Dec. 26 and observe a normal or early schedule on Dec. 24 per their standard calendars.
For federal workers, the additional days off in 2025 are treated similarly to other federal holidays for pay and leave purposes, and most employees will receive regular holiday pay for Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, consistent with existing regulations.
Congress recognizes 12 federal holidays (aka national holidays):
Trump gave federal workers Dec.24 off during his first term in 2019 and 2020. According to Straight Arrow News, former President Barack Obama gave them the day after Christmas off in 2014, though he did not do that for Christmas Eve.
According to Forbes, the estimated the cost of each federal holidays is $818 million to taxpayers, excluding the military and Postal Service. Other agencies estimate it $100 million higher.
