Feds will have Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 off

President Donald Trump in an executive order on Thursday gave the federal workforce a holiday on Dec. 24 and 26. Because Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, this provides government workers with a five-day weekend. 

According to the directive, agency heads can require certain offices to remain open on either day due to national security, defense or other public need. 

Civil servants some years get an extra day off on Christmas Eve, which is not a federal holiday, especially if doing so would create a four-day weekend.  

During his first term, Trump was relatively generous when it came to excusing work on Christmas Eve. In 2019, he unexpectedly gave feds Dec. 24 off, even though Christmas was on a Wednesday. And in 2020, when Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday, he gave them the full day off, even though other recent presidents have only granted half days when Christmas fell on the last day of the work week. 

By also giving feds the day after Christmas off, Trump is in alignment with former President Barack Obama, who did the same thing in 2014, which was the last time Christmas fell on a Thursday. Obama, however, did not give the government workforce an additional day off on Christmas Eve that year