A lucky extended Christmas vacation for some Americans.
With Christmas rapidly approaching, many folks are scrambling to finish up their holiday shopping, wrap up work to enjoy some R&R, and are busying themselves with packing, should your holiday plans include travel. With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, many people will utilize their PTO to make a long weekend out of the holiday if their place of work does not give them extra days off outside of Christmas Day.
However, President Trump has decided that the Christmas break needs to be longer, and yesterday, December 18, signed an executive order designating Christmas Eve and the day following Christmas, December 26, as federal holidays.
But before you start jumping for joy or begin dancing like this meme, let us go through the facts of this order:
Because this executive order does not make Christmas Eve or December 26th a permanent federal holiday, it might not apply to everyone…sorry to burst your bubble.
Only federal agencies will be closed on their respective days, and some employees may still have to work at the agency leaders’ discretion, according to the order. As for non-federal workers, it is up to your private employer if they choose to honor Trump’s order, but they do not have to, according to the law. And for those worried that their last-minute orders might not get there in time with the announcement of this order, have no fear. Per the document, post offices will be open on the 24th and 26th, and mail will still be delivered on those days.
Big-box retailers like Target, Walmart, Costco, and more will likely still abide by their policy of reduced hours on Christmas Eve, will be closed on Christmas Day, and will return to normal or reduced hours on December 26th.
While I am sure we all wish that this order were a permanent addition to the federal holiday calendar, sadly, it will not be. I mean, never say never… but this is only effective for this calendar year. We’ve seen our nation’s leaders sign executive orders like this in the past, such as in 2014, when President Obama declared December 26, which also fell on a Friday, a federal holiday.
While I am very happy that the President wants us to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, those of us who do not work for a federal agency are at the mercy of our employers or our PTO allocation for how long our Christmas break will last.
We hope that (no matter how much time you have off from work) you have a very merry Christmas surrounded by those you love. Hopefully, you get some R&R to finish out 2025 strong. Next step: Moving the Super Bowl to Saturday night… make it happen Don.
Fire up George Strait’s “Christmas Cookies” to spread a little cheer before you go:
