Feds will have Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 off

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Government Executive

December 18, 2025 04:43 PM ET


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.

Read more: https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2025/12/feds-will-have-dec-24-and-dec-26/410226/

---

The article said the last time Christmas Day was on a Thursday was back in 2014, and usually they would give off that Friday but not the Wednesday! I was still working then and was using my "Use or Lose" leave, so, was already off... (when they do that, people with scheduled use or lose have to pay attention so they don't lose a day that ended up being an "Administrative Leave" day due to the Presidential order).

They have also done this if Christmas Day is on a Tuesday and they will give that Monday (Christmas Eve) off.

[Lovie777]

1. With pay?....................

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Yes.

The timekeepers put it in as "Administrative Leave" (probably with some kind of code to designate it as being through a Presidential E.O.).

[NutmegYankee]

6. Holiday leave.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. There are timekeeper categories for "Holidays" for "Holiday" leave

which would be the now 11 "official" (by law, NOT Executive Order) "holidays".

When you have your GS-1000s and/or the Presidents approving leave (and the GS-1000s can do up to 2 hours), then it is usually coded as "Administrative Leave".

(back when I was a supervisor with direct reports, I had to sign off (manually in the old days and electronically later) on their leave slips & time cards every 2 weeks (for each pay period) and all of us supervisors were backups for others and had backups for ourselves, to sign off on our direct report time cards if we were not available & ETA to note that if someone is actually working on a "holiday" as coded, they get what amounts to "double time"/"holiday pay" by law)

[FakeNoose]

2. This is one of those weird years - Christmas Day falls on Thursday

... so of course nobody wants to work on the day before Christmas, and it doesn't make sense to come in to the office on Friday. You can't get any work done when everyone else is taking the long weekend off.

Not every year is like this, but it happens now and then. I'm retired now, but I still remember back to those working days.

[COL Mustard]

4. I'll certainly take it!

But it doesn't change my opinion of the man.

And yes, with the furlough I still have use or lose...and I don't intend to lose any of it!

[TomSlick]

5. A poor excuse to pick the taxpayer's pocket.

If we stopped a day's pay, they'd feel themselves ill-used, I'll be bound.

Apologies to Dickens - sorta.

[IzzaNuDay]

8. WTF!

I mean Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!

[Seeking Serenity]

9. My state too (that means me)!

Governor signed the proclamation yesterday. Yippee!