As someone who loves the Christmas holiday way too much, one of the latest moves from President Donald Trump might bring a little extra holiday cheer for seasons to come.
Last Friday, Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that officially recognizes Christmas Eve as a federal holiday. That means that the federal government will be required to be closed on December 24.
According to the EO:
Section 1. All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Thursday, December 24, 2020, the day before Christmas Day.
Sec. 2. The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2020, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
Sec. 3. December 24, 2020, shall be considered as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of employees of the United States.
So while Christmas Eve will be a day off for federal government employees, it’s still not a national holiday no matter how much we might want it to be. But if you work for the government — which apparently includes millions of people — you can enjoy the extended break.
It you love Christmas too, watch below for this year's lighting of the national Christmas tree at the White House from a couple of weeks ago:
H/T: Washington Examiner