For millions of American families, the days around Christmas represent something irreplaceable. Generations gather. Traditions get honored. The relentless pace of daily life finally slows down long enough for real conversations to happen. Yet for too many federal workers, Christmas Eve has meant an impossible choice: precious hours with family or burning through personal leave. December 26th? Forget savoring leftovers with the relatives. Back to work.
Here’s the thing about our modern approach to Christmas. Somewhere along the way, the federal bureaucracy decided that the most celebrated holiday in American culture deserved exactly one day of recognition. Meanwhile, workers watched the Christmas season shrink into a single square on the calendar. Americans old enough to remember when December meant something more than Amazon deliveries have noticed the shift. And they haven’t appreciated it.
From The Post Millennial:
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that adds two new federal holidays around Christmas, a move that would give federal workers additional time off at the end of the year. The order designates December 24 and December 26 as federal holidays, expanding the existing Christmas Day observance. The change would apply only to federal employees and would not mandate time off for state or local governments, nor private employers.
A Gift to American Workers
President Trump’s executive order does exactly what it sounds like. It hands federal workers a genuine Christmas gift. With Christmas Day landing on Thursday this year, the order creates an unbroken Wednesday-through-Friday break. No scrambling to patch together vacation days. No guilt about leaving early on Christmas Eve.
The practical impact matters. Plenty of federal workers have treated these days as unofficial holidays for years. They’d use personal leave while productivity crawled to a standstill anyway. Trump’s order acknowledges what everyone already knew. It also signals real appreciation for government employees who keep the machinery running the other fifty weeks of the year.
Agency heads keep the authority to maintain essential operations. Critical services won’t disappear. But the default position now favors family over bureaucracy.
This brings federal holidays in 2025 to thirteen total. That’s a government finally recognizing that American workers deserve time to observe the traditions that actually matter to them.
A Familiar Tradition
Watch for the predictable hand-wringing. “Can a president even do this?” Short answer: yes. And it’s been done before.
Trump designated Christmas Eve as a federal holiday during his first term. He did it in 2019 when December 24th fell on Tuesday. He did it again in 2020 when it landed on Thursday. The republic survived both times.
Even President Obama got in on this action. He declared December 26, 2014 a federal holiday when it fell on a Friday. Convenient timing for a long weekend. Nobody accused him of constitutional overreach.
The difference now? Trump expanded the recognition to both days surrounding Christmas. He’s treating the holiday like the season it actually is, not a lone Thursday sandwiched between regular workdays.
Putting Families First
Some will immediately worry about the economic implications. Deep breaths, everyone. The New York Stock Exchange keeps its regular schedule. Bond markets operate independently. Private employers set their own policies. Commerce continues.
What this executive order actually represents runs deeper than scheduling logistics. It’s a statement. Family time has value. Christmas traditions deserve governmental respect. Workers shouldn’t have to choose between celebrating with their kids and keeping their leave balance intact.
In a culture that increasingly treats religious holidays as productivity inconveniences, that message lands differently. Some might call it quaint. Others recognize it as overdue.
The Season’s True Meaning
Federal employees across the country now get to spend a real Christmas week with their families. They can thank a president who grasps something basic: not everything worth doing shows up on a productivity report.
Christmas has always been about gathering with the people who matter. It’s about honoring traditions your grandparents passed down. It’s about pausing long enough to count blessings instead of emails.
Trump’s executive order won’t revolutionize the economy. Constitutional scholars won’t debate it for generations. But for hundreds of thousands of federal workers planning their holiday celebrations right now, it represents something valuable. A leader who remembers what Christmas actually means. And who governs like it.
Key Takeaways
- Trump’s executive order designates December 24 and 26 as federal holidays, giving workers a full Christmas week.
- The move follows historical precedent from both Trump’s first term and the Obama administration.
- Federal agencies will close Wednesday through Friday, though essential services remain operational.
- The order reflects a pro-family approach that honors longstanding American Christmas traditions.
Sources: The Post Millennial, The Hill
