Precedent says odds are not promising for federal employees wishing for a second day off for Christmas. Tom Williams / Getty Images
Feds are unlikely to get an extra day off at Christmas
With Christmas Day falling on a Monday this year, odds are against federal workers receiving additional time off for Christmas Eve.
A perennial question goes through the mind of many federal employees each December: Will I get any extra time off work in connection with the Christmas holiday?
Though presidents traditionally have waited until mid-December to announce whether they would issue an executive order excusing feds to quit early to prepare for the holiday, a quick perusal of recent history—and this year’s calendar—suggest the short answer this year is: Probably not.
Federal workers have usually received an extra day off to make a contiguous four-day weekend when Christmas is either on a Tuesday or Thursday. And presidents in the past have granted half-days on Christmas Eve when Christmas is on a Wednesday or Friday.
But they typically don’t get any additional time off if Christmas is on a Monday, as it is this year, or if the holiday falls over the weekend.
“Please note that most federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule,” OPM states on its website. “For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday—Saturday or Sunday—the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).”
Though unlikely, there remains a slim chance that feds could get some extra time off. In 2019, then-President Trump bucked tradition and granted federal employees a full day off on Christmas Eve, even though Christmas fell on a Wednesday, which precedent suggested would trigger only a half-day of extra time off.