The US President Donald Trump has declared Christmas Eve and December 26 as federal holidays for this year in new executive order.
Christmas Day, December 25 is already a federal holiday so this order extends the break to three consecutive days.
However, Trump noted that agency heads have the discretion to keep certain offices open and require some employees to work on these days if necessary.
Christmas Eve is the evening before Christmas Day, a night when over 90% of Americans celebrate with family and traditions.
It is pertinent to note that the order applies only to this year and does not permanently alter the federal holiday calendar
In his first term, Trump also declared Christmas Even a federal holiday in 2019 and 2020.
Likewise, in 2014, former President Barack Obama declared December 26 a federal holiday.
Presidents can sometimes declare single or one-time holidays but usually federal holidays are created by Congress and approved by the president.
The latest holiday added to the US federal calendar was Juneteenth in 2021, signed into law by former US President Joe Biden.
With Christmas Eve and December 26 added, there will be 13 federal holidays in the US this year, including New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Trump’s inauguration, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
