--- title: Trump Just Named Two New Federal Holidays. Here’s Who Gets Them Off description: President Donald Trump declared Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 as federal holidays, but the executive order only applies to federal agencies. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 133 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2025-12-22T20:25:13.000Z' modified: '2025-12-29T14:52:46.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 589 canonical: https://money.com/christmas-eve-federal-holiday-who-gets-off/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![President Trump Delivers Oval Office Address To The Nation](https://img.money.com/2025/12/News-Christmas-Federal-Holiday.jpg) The holiday break is getting a little longer — at least for some workers. President Donald Trump signed an [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/providing-for-the-closure-of-executive-departments-and-agencies-of-the-federal-government-on-december-24-2025-and-december-26-2025/) last week, making Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and the day after Christmas (Dec. 26) federal holidays. The extra PTO only applies for this year, though, and it primarily affects federal workers. With Christmas Day falling on a Thursday and already designated as a federal holiday, many government workers will effectively have a two-day workweek, with offices closed from Wednesday through Friday. Temporary holiday closures like this aren’t uncommon. Trump issued similar executive orders during his first term in [2018](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-providing-closing-executive-departments-agencies-federal-government-december-24-2018/), [2019](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-providing-closing-executive-departments-agencies-federal-government-december-24-2019/) and [2020](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-providing-closing-executive-departments-agencies-federal-government-december-24-2020/), declaring Christmas Eve a federal holiday. Former President Barack Obama did the same in [2012](https://cdn.govexec.com/media/gbc/docs/pdfs_edit/122112e1.pdf) and [2014](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/06/executive-order-closing-executive-departments-and-agencies-federal-gover). Still, the move does not permanently expand the federal holiday calendar. Making Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas an official, recurring federal holiday would require an act from Congress. The most recent federal holiday to be codified into law was [Juneteenth](https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/06/17/remarks-by-president-biden-at-signing-of-the-juneteenth-national-independence-day-act/) in 2021 under the Biden administration. The move marked June 19 — a day which honors the end of slavery in the U.S. — as the 12th federal holiday and the [first addition since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983](https://apnews.com/article/biden-juneteenth-federal-holiday-9bb62a3448376e05d87ac79cf27970d2). ## Debt holding you back? ### If you owe over $20,000, learn how Freedom Debt Relief can help you reduce or eliminate it. Select your state and act now! [Visit Site](https://money.com/pr/p968da151c7a?ap_referrer=%2Fchristmas-eve-federal-holiday-who-gets-off%2F) ## Do employers have to give workers time off on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26? Not to be a Scrooge, but the extra days won't apply to everyone. In fact, the work calendar this week will remain unchanged for the vast majority of workers. That's because the executive order applies only to federal agencies. Some federal employees may still be required to work on those days at the discretion of agency leadership, according to the [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/providing-for-the-closure-of-executive-departments-and-agencies-of-the-federal-government-on-december-24-2025-and-december-26-2025/). Private businesses aren't legally required to give employees time off or pay a higher 'holiday rate' on Dec. 24 or Dec. 26. While your company can choose to do so, the short notice between the announcement and the holidays makes it unlikely that many will. ## Will banks and the post office be open on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26? Yes — for the most part. U.S. Postal Service post offices will be open on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, and mail will be delivered on both of those days, according to the agency's holiday [schedule](https://www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-schedule.htm). USPS will be closed on Christmas Day. Banks will also be closed on Christmas Day but will operate business as usual on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, according to the [Federal Reserve](https://www.frbservices.org/about/holiday-schedules). ## Will any private retailers be closed on Christmas Eve or Dec. 26? Private businesses aren't required to follow the federal holiday schedule, so store hours will vary by retailer and location. Many large chains across the U.S. close early on Christmas Eve, though shoppers should check local stores for holiday hours before heading out. Here's how a few major national retailers are operating on and around Christmas: - [Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/store/1253-austin-tx): Open Dec. 24 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Christmas Day; reopens at 6 a.m Dec. 26. - [Target](https://corporate.target.com/press/fact-sheet/2023/12/stores-supply-chain-holidays): Open Dec. 24 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Christmas Day; reopen at 7 a.m. Dec. 26. - [Costco](https://www.costco.com/w/-/locations?location=78704+Austin%2C+Texas): Open Dec. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Christmas Day; reopens at 10 a.m. Dec. 26. Most [Walgreens](https://corporate.walgreens.com/holiday-hub/) and [CVS stores](https://www.cvs.com/store-locator/landing) will remain open with adjusted hours on Christmas Day, though hours may vary by location. ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Fchristmas-eve-federal-holiday-who-gets-off%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/christmas-eve-federal-holiday-who-gets-off/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Trump Just Named Two New Federal Holidays. 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