Last Updated: October 28, 2026 Reading Time: 6 min

Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, which makes Thursday, December 24 the day every federal employee is asking about. As of October 28, 2026, no executive order closing agencies on Christmas Eve had been published in the Federal Register. To see what's likely, we opened every Christmas closing order in the Federal Register since 2001 and lined them up by weekday.

Why December 24 Is a Workday Unless an Order Says Otherwise

The list of legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a) includes "Christmas Day, December 25." It has no entry for December 24. OPM's 2026 holiday list puts Christmas Day on Friday, December 25 (OPM federal holidays).

When Christmas lands on a weekend, the observed holiday moves on its own:

  • Saturday Christmas: the Friday before becomes the holiday. The statute says "Instead of a holiday that occurs on a Saturday, the Friday immediately before is a legal public holiday" for Monday-to-Friday employees (5 U.S.C. § 6103(b)(1)). That's why Christmas Eve was already a day off in 2004, 2010 and 2021.
  • Sunday Christmas: employees are excused on the next workday under Executive Order 11582, printed as a note to § 6103.

In 2026 neither rule applies to a Monday-to-Friday schedule. Christmas is on a Friday, so Thursday is a normal duty day, and an executive order is the only way to get it off without leave. Employees whose basic workweek is not Monday to Friday follow a different rule under 5 U.S.C. § 6103(b)(2); for some of them, the in-lieu Christmas holiday may already land on December 24. Check with your timekeeper.

Every Christmas Closing Order Since 2001

We opened each order in the Federal Register and recorded the day it closed agencies, its executive order number and citation, and the date it was signed. Years with no order are listed too.

Year Dec 24 Dec 25 What agencies got Order (Federal Register) Signed Days before Dec 24
2001 Mon Tue Dec 24, full day EO 13238, 66 FR 63903 Dec 5 19
2002 Tue Wed Dec 24, half day EO 13281, 67 FR 78319 Dec 19 5
2003 Wed Thu Dec 26 only EO 13320, 68 FR 69295 Dec 9 15
2004 Fri Sat Dec 24 was the observed holiday none needed n/a n/a
2005 Sat Sun Mon, Dec 26 observed none n/a n/a
2006 Sun Mon Dec 24 was a Sunday none n/a n/a
2007 Mon Tue Dec 24, full day EO 13453, 72 FR 70477 Dec 6 18
2008 Wed Thu Dec 26 only EO 13482, 73 FR 76501 Dec 12 12
2009 Thu Fri Dec 24, half day EO 13523, 74 FR 66563 Dec 11 13
2010 Fri Sat Dec 24 was the observed holiday none needed n/a n/a
2011 Sat Sun Mon, Dec 26 observed none n/a n/a
2012 Mon Tue Dec 24, full day EO 13633, 77 FR 76339 Dec 21 3
2013 Tue Wed No order found none found in the Federal Register n/a n/a
2014 Wed Thu Dec 26 only EO 13682, 79 FR 73459 Dec 5 19
2015 Thu Fri Dec 24, half day EO 13713, 80 FR 78117 Dec 11 13
2016 Sat Sun Mon, Dec 26 observed none n/a n/a
2017 Sun Mon Dec 24 was a Sunday none n/a n/a
2018 Mon Tue Dec 24, full day EO 13854, 83 FR 65481 Dec 18 6
2019 Tue Wed Dec 24, full day EO 13900, 84 FR 69983 Dec 17 7
2020 Thu Fri Dec 24, full day EO 13965, 85 FR 81337 Dec 11 13
2021 Fri Sat Dec 24 was the observed holiday none needed n/a n/a
2022 Sat Sun Mon, Dec 26 observed none n/a n/a
2023 Sun Mon Dec 24 was a Sunday none n/a n/a
2024 Tue Wed Dec 24, full day EO 14129, 89 FR 104857 Dec 18 6
2025 Wed Thu Dec 24 and Dec 26, full days EO 14371, 90 FR 60545 Dec 18 6
2026 Thu Fri No order published as of Oct 28 n/a n/a n/a

Method: every row with an order comes from the order's own text in the Federal Register (closing language and signing date). "No order" for 2013 rests on Federal Register searches of executive orders signed in late 2013, which return none on closings. Days before Dec 24 = December 24 minus the signing date. FedTools analysis, October 28, 2026.

What the Pattern Says About 2026

From 2001 through 2025, Christmas Eve fell on a Monday through Thursday 15 times. In 14 of those 15 years, an order gave agencies time off around Christmas, either on December 24 or on Friday, December 26. For 2013 we found no order in the Federal Register.

The weekday matters:

  • Monday Christmas Eve: 4 of 4 years got a full day (2001, 2007, 2012, 2018).
  • Wednesday Christmas Eve (Christmas on Thursday): three of four orders gave the Friday after Christmas instead (2003, 2008, 2014). Only 2025 closed Christmas Eve itself, and it gave both days.
  • Thursday Christmas Eve (the 2026 shape): 3 of 3 got an order. 2009 and 2015 were half days. 2020 was a full day.

The half-day orders closed agencies "for the last half of the scheduled workday," in the 2009 order's words. Go back one more Thursday case, 1998, and that order was also a half day. So in the four Thursday Christmas Eves since 1998, agencies always got something, but only once did they get the whole day.

Past orders don't bind a future President. The record shows that time off has been the norm in weekday Christmas Eve years, and that a Thursday Christmas Eve has more often meant a half day than a full one.

When to Expect an Order

Don't read anything into October. Across the 14 orders since 2001, signing came 3 to 19 days before Christmas Eve. The earliest was December 5 and the latest December 21, 2012, just three days out. Every order since 2018 was signed between December 11 and December 18.

We'll update the 2026 row the day an order is published in the Federal Register.

How Pay Works If an Order Comes

Each modern order says the excused day falls within Executive Order 11582 and "5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b)." That language is what turns a closure into a holiday for pay and leave. For you, that means:

  • You don't use leave. Full-time employees excused by the order and not required to work get their basic pay for the day, per OPM's holidays fact sheet.
  • Some people still work. The orders let agency heads keep offices open and require employees to work "for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need."
  • Working the day earns holiday premium pay for most employees. Under 5 U.S.C. § 5546(b), qualifying non-overtime work on a holiday designated by executive order is paid at your basic rate plus premium pay equal to your basic rate (overtime hours get overtime pay instead), and 5 U.S.C. § 5546(c) guarantees at least 2 hours if you're required to report.
  • Half-day orders pay premium only for the half that's excused. OPM says employees on a standard schedule who work get holiday premium pay "for work during the last half of their basic workday."

If no order comes, Christmas Eve is a normal workday for employees on a Monday-to-Friday schedule. Being out means approved annual leave, comp time or another paid status. Employees on other schedules should check whether December 24 is already a nonworkday or their in-lieu holiday.

What to Do Now

  • Request leave early if you need December 24. Assume it's a workday until an order says otherwise.
  • Check your use-or-lose balance. For the 2026 leave year, schedule use-or-lose leave in writing by November 28 to keep restoration possible if exigency or sickness later cancels it. Administrative-error restoration follows a separate rule. See our use-or-lose leave deadline guide.
  • Don't count on a free Friday after Thanksgiving either. Our Thanksgiving Friday explainer covers why "liberal leave" isn't a day off.
  • Keep the year-end calendar handy. Our year-end deadlines list puts Open Season, leave and TSP dates in one place.

Plan Your December Leave

Use the free Federal Leave Optimizer to map your remaining 2026 annual leave against the leave year, which ends January 9, 2027, and find the days off that keep you under your carryover ceiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2026?

No. Christmas Day is the only Christmas-period date on the legal holiday list in 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a). In 2026 it falls on Friday, December 25, so Thursday, December 24 is a regular workday for employees on a Monday-to-Friday schedule unless the President signs an order closing agencies. Other schedules may already have an in-lieu holiday that day.

Has the President given federal employees Christmas Eve 2026 off?

Not as of October 28, 2026. No executive order closing agencies on December 24 or 26, 2026 had been published in the Federal Register. From 2001 through 2025, these orders were signed between December 5 and December 21, so silence in October tells you nothing.

What happened the last times Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday?

Every time, agencies got some time off. In 2009 and 2015 the order closed agencies for the last half of the workday. In 2020 it closed them for the full day. The 1998 order, the last earlier Thursday case, was also a half day.

If I have to work on an executive-order Christmas Eve, do I get holiday pay?

Most employees do. The orders bring the excused day under 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b), so qualifying non-overtime work on it earns holiday premium pay equal to your basic rate on top of your basic pay, with a 2-hour minimum if you are required to report. On a half-day order, premium pay covers only the last half of your workday.

Do I need to take leave if an order closes agencies?

No. Full-time employees who are excused by the order and not required to work receive their basic pay for the day. If no order comes, Christmas Eve is a normal workday on a Monday-to-Friday schedule and you need approved leave to take it off; other schedules may already have it as a nonworkday or in-lieu holiday.

Sources: 5 U.S.C. § 6103 and Executive Order 11582 (note to § 6103); 5 U.S.C. § 5546; OPM 2026 federal holidays list and OPM fact sheet "Holidays Work Schedules and Pay"; Executive Orders 13109, 13238, 13281, 13320, 13453, 13482, 13523, 13633, 13682, 13713, 13854, 13900, 13965, 14129 and 14371 as published in the Federal Register. Year table is FedTools analysis of those orders, October 28, 2026.