Some of the fortunate workers are about to have a little more time at Christmas vacation. Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, President Donald Trump announced an executive order that completely changed the holiday scenario during the last week of the year.1 The order includes a five-day holiday in 2025 on the day before Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and the day following Christmas (Dec. 26), which is a huge present to some employees, but again the reality on who receives the day off is not as simple as it seems.
The 2025 Holiday Shake-Up: A Five Day Weekend.
Christmas Day 2025 is a Thursday, so it will leave a bridge day on Friday or a preparation day on Wednesday that many employees will either have to work on or take personal leave to do so. The executive order by Trump essentially bridges the gap on federal agencies.4 The federal workers will be relieved of duty starting on Wednesday, Dec. 24, until Friday, Dec. 26, which immediately precedes the weekend.
Who Really Has Christmas Eve and Dec. 26 off?
The first significant difference that should be comprehended is that when an executive order is issued as a federal holiday, the greatest impact would be on the Executive Arm of the government.
Federal Agencies and Employees.
The order directs that all the executive departments of agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed.
- The Advantage: The employees are given leave that has no pay or charge.
- The Exception: Agencies heads may still demand to have essential personnel work in their behalf due to reasons of national security, defense, or national need.
The State Governments and the Private Sector
. Regrettably, the order issued by Trump does not enforce under the law that all the private businesses, banks, or state and local governments should close.10
- Private Businesses: The vast majority of retailers (Target, Walmart, Costco), as well as other private corporations will preserve their regular holiday schedules and will only close on Dec. 25.
- Stock Markets: Both the NYSE and Nasdaq have assured that although they will close early (1 p.m.) on the Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec.11 26 will still be a normal full trading day.
Are These Permanent Holidays of This Nature?
No.A temporary executive holiday and a permanent federal holiday have a legal distinction.12
Temporary Order: This order is limited to the 2025 calendar year only.13 Presidents may always grant so-called bonuses days, when Christmas is close to a weekend (as in the cases of Obama in 2014, or the Trump first term in 2019).
Permanent legislation: To become a regular part of the holiday, such as Juneteenth, which was introduced in 2021, has to be approved by Congress and signed into law.
The Economic Impact: “Billions of Dollars?”
The move has elicited some controversy, especially after the President recently criticized the number of non-working days they are supposed to have, saying that the cost of shutting the government can be immense, with a loss in government productivity in the billions of dollars, when it would otherwise be a slow season to conduct business within government.15 opponents of the idea have referenced the high cost of a government shutdown, which could amount to billions of dollars of lost productivity, whereas the advocates of the shutdown argue that the government needs the morale of the workers to be given a boost, especially in a tradition.
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FAQs
Q: Am I holiday paid when I am working in a private office?
A: This is a matter of the handbook of your employer. The federal holidays do not legally entitle private companies to give holiday pay unless stated in a contract
. Q: Does it get the mails on Friday, December 26?
A: Yes. The USPS tends to make mail deliveries and provide retail outlets during days that are proclaimed as holidays via executive order, as compared to statutory holidays such as Christmas Day.
Q: Does this have any impact on the use-or-lose annual leave
A: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) states that in case you already had leave on these days, the leave will not be charged.16, but you still will lose if not used until January 10, 2026.
Disclaimer:
The news itself reported is founded on the available sources and reports. The updates to the readers must be cross-verified against the official news sources and governmental websites such as OPM.gov.