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Is December 26 a federal holiday in the US in 2025? Check who will get the day off
In 2025, December 26 is a federal holiday due to a temporary presidential order. More details inside.
For many people, December 26 often carries the relaxed feel of a holiday, with quiet offices, extended family visits, and a general slowdown in work, especially when it falls on a Friday, as it does in 2025. Despite that post-Christmas lull, the day does not hold the same official status as Christmas Day, leaving many to wonder how it's formally recognized.
Is the day after Christmas, December 26, a federal holiday?
December 26, the day after Christmas, has been designated a federal holiday in 2025. However, it is not a permanent fixture on the federal holiday calendar, as reported by USA Today.
December 26 can become a day off for federal employees when the president issues a temporary order, as President Donald Trump did this year by designating both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas as federal holidays in 2025. For most workers, however, time off still depends on individual workplace policies and employer discretion.
For a day to become a permanent federal holiday, Congress must pass legislation that is then signed into law by the president. The most recent example of this process was in 2021, when Juneteenth was officially added to the federal holiday calendar under the Biden administration.
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Who will get an off on December 26, 2025?
Despite Trump's temporary order, most Americans will not automatically get December 26 off. While some private workplaces align paid time off with the federal holiday schedule, December 26 is not a permanent federal holiday. So, employees outside government offices who do not normally have the day off are unlikely to benefit from it.
Under the president's order, only federal agencies are officially closed on those days, and some federal employees may still be required to work at teh discretion of agency leaders, as reported by USA Today. Private businesses are free to grant time off to their employees, but there is no legal obligation for them to do so.
