Christmas Eve is not a designated federal holiday. Still, U.S. presidents, including Joe Biden and Donald Trump, have used the holiday to grant a day off to the country’s more than 2 million federal employees.
The White House announced on Thursday that Biden signed an executive order gifting federal employees the day off on Dec. 24, 2024.
“All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, the day before Christmas Day,” according to the White House’s announcement.
Although most federal employees will be off, the White House said that the heads of executive departments and agencies will determine if certain offices and installations of their organizations must remain open on Tuesday.
The announcement also came days before the U.S. avoided a government shutdown as Congress reached a last-minute bipartisan deal. Biden signed the legislation late Saturday morning so government operations could commence.
Here is what to know about the fed’s day off on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve 2024: Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open? Will mail be delivered?
Do presidents give federal employees Christmas Eve off?
Presidents have handled Christmas Eve differently as they can designate it as a holiday for federal employees.
During President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, he gifted federal employees Christmas Eve off in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Former President Barack Obama gave federal employees an extra day off during the holidays, but instead of Christmas Eve, Dec. 26, 2014, was deemed a holiday. Former President George W. Bush made Dec. 24 a holiday more than once during his two terms.
What are the federal holidays in 2025?
Normally, the U.S. recognizes 11 federal holidays, but Inauguration Day will make the list in 2025. It will only be a holiday for federal employees in Washington, D.C., and certain federal offices. Employers and organizations will decide whether or not to give the day off.
According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, here are the regular 11 federal holidays that will be recognized in 2025:
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Jan. 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day
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Jan. 20, 2025 – Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
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Jan. 20, 2025 – Inauguration Day
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Feb. 17, 2025 – Washington’s Birthday
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May 26, 2025 – Memorial Day
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June 19, 2025 – Juneteenth National Independence Day
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July 4, 2025 – Independence Day
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Sept. 1, 2025 – Labor Day
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Oct. 13, 2025 – Indigenous People’s Day
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Nov. 11, 2025 – Veterans Day
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Nov. 27, 2025 – Thanksgiving Day
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Dec. 25, 2025 – Christmas Day
Contributing: Brandi D. Addison, Savannah Kuchar, Bart Jansen and Riley Beggin, USA TODAY NETWORK
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday? Here’s what to know for 2024
