Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2020? Know details inside

Christmas Eve is the evening or the whole day before Christmas Day. The festival is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As the day has arrived, the question of 'is Christmas eve a federal holiday?' has been on a rise. It is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas day. Know about the current holiday season update in the United States of America.

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Is Christmas Eve a Federal Holiday?

On December 12, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring Thursday, December 24, 2020, i.e. Christmas Eve, a federal holiday, reported U.S. Department of the Interior. Employees of various departments are excused from duty to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Employees of national security, defense must report to duty.

The federal holiday means that if a person has a government job and wants to do some last-minute shopping, he/she does not have to use Paid Time Off (PTO). It is to celebrate the Christmas holiday season to the fullest. However, for employees at a private firm, this could be different. As many private companies have their own policies, one should check with their place of business before using their vacation hours.

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As for government workers, any previously scheduled annual leave or other forms of paid leave, credit hours, or compensatory time off on Christmas Eve will not be charged. Planned “use or lose” annual leave for December 24 should be rescheduled before January 2, 2021. If an employee fails to reschedule and use the off before January 2, 2021, the leave will be cancelled and would not be restored. Employees may also consider donating their excess annual leave to their colleague who is granted the Emergency Leave Transfer Program or the Voluntary Leave Share Program.

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When the government was experiencing a shut down in 2018, the President declared Christmas eve a federal holiday. The same happened in 2019 and would also be followed this year, expanding the Christmas holiday season. As of 2020, seven U.S. presidents have declared Christmas Eve as off, at least some years of their terms via executive orders, making it one of the federal holidays. The names of the presidents are; Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Harry S. Truman. Any questions regarding the December 24 off should be directed to the servicing Human Resources Office.

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