President Donald Trump declared Christmas Eve (December 24) and the day after Christmas (December 26) as federal holidays for 2025 via an executive order. Federal government departments and agencies will be closed on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025. Christmas Day is typically the only federal holiday related to the religious observance in the US, making the declaration for both surrounding days unusual. The decision is partly influenced by Christmas Day falling on a Thursday in 2025, similar to a past instance where the day after Christmas was granted off. Presidents have previously granted federal employees time off around Christmas Eve, sometimes as a half-day or full-day closure.
3 months ago
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on December 18, 2025, declaring Christmas Eve (December 24) and December 26 as days off for federal workers.1
The order states that all executive departments and agencies will close on Wednesday, December 24, and Friday, December 26.1
Christmas Day falls on Thursday, December 25, 2025, creating a mid-week holiday.1
This timing prompted the additional days off, extending the holiday period.1
Such declarations are unusual but not unprecedented for U.S. presidents.1
Trump provided a full day off on Christmas Eve during his first term; Barack Obama granted December 26 off when Christmas last fell on a Thursday.1
Christmas Day is the only federal religious holiday in the U.S.1
Christmas Eve and December 26 (known as Boxing Day elsewhere) are not typically federal holidays domestically.1
Investigate the Catholic Church’s view on federal recognition of Christmas observances
The Catholic Church views federal or governmental recognition of Christmas observances—such as designating it a legal holiday—as a positive good that aligns with the promotion of religious freedom, the common good, and the sanctification of society. Drawing from key teachings, the Church explicitly encourages the faithful to seek such recognition for Sundays and holy days, while papal examples demonstrate active advocacy for state acknowledgment of Christmas. This stance is rooted in the indirect influence of the Church on civil authority, respecting the rights of all while prioritizing the public expression of faith.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides the clearest foundation, instructing that "in respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays." This directive encompasses major feasts like Christmas, emphasizing not coercion but a public witness: "They have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society." Even where work is required by law, the day retains its sacred character as a "festal gathering."
Pope John Paul II reinforced this in addressing U.S. bishops, urging support for efforts to help the faithful "celebrate worthily their Christian dignity in the Sunday liturgy" and maintain "that great tradition... of sanctifying Sunday and the Holidays of Obligation." He highlighted how such observances, including rest from work and charitable activities, "contribute to the Christian dimension of society and help lift up people’s hearts to God the Creator and Redeemer of all." Christmas, as the principal feast celebrating Christ's Nativity, fits squarely within this call to preserve holy days amid societal pressures.
Historical papal interventions illustrate the Church's practical endorsement of governmental recognition. In Cuba, Pope John Paul II requested during his 1998 visit that Christmas be made a national holiday, a step later realized. Similarly, Benedict XVI advocated for Good Friday recognition in 2012, underscoring an analogous principle for Christian observances. These actions exemplify the Church's "indirect" influence: appealing to consciences rather than demanding privileges, yet promoting laws that align civil life with natural law and divine truth.
Such advocacy harmonizes with the Church's vision of a "Catholic democratic state" where citizens, through prudential deliberation, might "freely subordinate the natural common life... to the highest end of divine life." While Dignitatis Humanae affirms irenic coexistence between Church and modern states, Leo XIII's realism in Immortale Dei notes that a "just and balanced establishment of the true religion by the state is preferable in principle," better initiating society toward moral virtues and the common good. Federal recognition of Christmas thus serves this end without disrespecting non-Catholic rights.
The Church's position is embedded in its social teaching on religious liberty, which includes the "right of religious groups not to be prevented from freely demonstrating the special value of their teaching for the organizations of society." Rooted in human social nature, this extends to establishing cultural and charitable works, as affirmed in Dignitatis Humanae. Pope John XXIII's Pacem in Terris lists among human rights the ability "to honor God according to the sincere dictates of his own conscience, and therefore the right to practice his religion privately and publicly." Public holidays like Christmas enable this fruitful penetration of faith into society.
Pope John Paul II, addressing the Dominican Republic's ambassador, affirmed that Church and State share the human person as their subject, converging in areas like health care and education that "rightly deserve recognition and support from the State." No privileges are sought, but mutual relations ordered for citizens' benefit, allowing the Church's evangelizing mission. This cooperative model supports federal observances of Christmas as a service to all, fostering spiritual life without coercion.
In summary, the Catholic Church unequivocally supports seeking federal recognition of Christmas as a legal holiday, as a means to honor religious freedom, sanctify public life, and pursue the common good. Catholics are called to advocate prudently, following papal precedents and magisterial guidance, while ensuring respect for all consciences. This reflects the Church's balanced vision: faith illuminating civil order for human flourishing.