Is Christmas Eve a Federal Holiday in 2026?
No. Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday. Thursday, December 24, 2026 is not one of the 11 legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a); the federal holiday is Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026. Federal offices are open on December 24 unless the President closes executive agencies by executive order.
The number of days to Thursday, December 24, 2026 appears here once the page loads in your browser.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Federal Register, OPM, USPS and NYSE sources checked October 25, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Has an executive order closed agencies on December 24, 2026?
As of October 25, 2026, no executive order has been issued closing executive agencies on December 24, 2026. We searched the Federal Register for executive orders titled "Providing for the Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies" and found none dated 2026. Check the Federal Register search and OPM's federal holidays page for the latest.
Orders for December 24 were signed between December 11 and December 18 in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024 and 2025; the list below shows each signing date.
Executive orders that gave federal employees December 24 off or a half day off
Congress sets the 11 legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a). Presidents close executive agencies on other days, such as December 24, by executive order, so the day off has been decided year by year. The Federal Register lists these orders; this list is not a complete history, and half-day orders are marked.
Some weekday December 24s had no order (for example 2013 and 2014; the 2014 order, EO 13682, covered only December 26). We found no closing order for December 24 in those years in the Federal Register.
Sources: Federal Register 2014-29121 (EO 13682, December 26, 2014), Federal Register: executive orders closing agencies (search)
Christmas Eve executive orders, by year
| Year | Order | Agencies closed | Signed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Executive Order 13453 | Monday, December 24, 2007 | Thursday, December 6, 2007 | Federal Register 07-6022 |
| 2009 | Executive Order 13523 | Thursday, December 24, 2009 (half day) | Friday, December 11, 2009 | Federal Register E9-30020 |
| 2012 | Executive Order 13633 | Monday, December 24, 2012 | Friday, December 21, 2012 | Federal Register 2012-31225 |
| 2015 | Executive Order 13713 | Thursday, December 24, 2015 (half day) | Friday, December 11, 2015 | Federal Register 2015-31749 |
| 2018 | Executive Order 13854 | Monday, December 24, 2018 | Tuesday, December 18, 2018 | 83 FR 65481 |
| 2019 | Executive Order 13900 | Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | Tuesday, December 17, 2019 | 84 FR 69983 |
| 2020 | Executive Order 13965 | Thursday, December 24, 2020 | Friday, December 11, 2020 | 85 FR 81337 |
| 2024 | Executive Order 14129 | Tuesday, December 24, 2024 | Wednesday, December 18, 2024 | 89 FR 104857 |
| 2025 | Executive Order 14371 | Wednesday, December 24 and Friday, December 26, 2025 | Thursday, December 18, 2025 | Federal Register 2025-23847 |
Signing dates are from the Federal Register record of each order. Not a complete history. Status for 2026: search the Federal Register (as of October 25, 2026).
What is open and closed on Thursday, December 24, 2026
Each row links its source. As of October 25, 2026. Market hours are in Eastern Time; see stock market holidays for the full calendar and the federal holidays 2026 list.
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open Thursday, December 24, 2026, unless the President closes agencies by executive order. As of October 25, 2026, none has been issued for this date. Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026, is the holiday.Source: 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays, OPM: Federal Holidays, Federal Register: executive orders closing agencies (search) |
| USPS | Open: Thursday, December 24, 2026 is not on USPS's 2026 holiday list. USPS lists Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, as a day with no mail service. Individual Post Office hours can vary, so check your local office.Source: USPS: holidays and events |
| Federal Reserve / banks | Open: the Federal Reserve Banks' holiday schedule has no closure on Thursday, December 24, 2026. Commercial banks and credit unions set their own branch hours, so check your bank.Source: Federal Reserve Financial Services: holiday schedules |
| Stock market (NYSE) | Open with an early close at 1:00 p.m. ET (Christmas Eve). NYSE lists eligible options closing at 1:15 p.m. ET.Source: NYSE: holidays and trading hours |
| Bond market (SIFMA) | Open with an early close: SIFMA recommends a 2:00 p.m. ET early close (Christmas Eve).Source: SIFMA: holiday schedule |
| Federal pay and leave | A regular workday unless an executive order is issued, so employees who want the day off request annual leave. When a President does close agencies, the order sets the pay treatment: Executive Order 14371 (2025) applied Executive Order 11582 and 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) to its closing days, and OPM publishes holiday pay rules, including half-day holidays declared by executive order.Source: OPM: Holidays, Work Schedules, and Pay, 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays |
What an executive order does and does not cover
Executive Order 14371 (2025) closed executive departments and agencies and excused employees from duty on December 24 and 26, 2025 (section 1), let agency heads keep offices open for national security, defense or other public need (section 2), and applied Executive Order 11582 and 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) to those days for pay and leave (section 3). The text is in the Federal Register.
An order covers executive departments and agencies. It does not close USPS, private employers, banks, courts or the stock market, which keep their own calendars shown above. Without an order, December 24 is a regular federal workday.
Plan around the date
Use the federal holidays 2026 page for every OPM holiday and observed date, and the federal holidays 2027 page for 2027, when Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 24, 2027. See the stock market holidays page for all NYSE and bond market closes, the 2026 federal pay period calendar for pay dates around the holidays, and military pay dates for DFAS dates.
Related pages
Questions
Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday?
No. Christmas Eve is not one of the 11 legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a); Christmas Day, December 25, is. In 2026 December 24 is a Thursday and federal offices are open unless the President closes agencies by executive order.
Will Christmas Eve be a federal holiday in 2026?
As of October 25, 2026, no executive order has been issued closing agencies on December 24, 2026. Only an executive order can give federal employees the day off, so check OPM's federal holidays page and the Federal Register for the latest.
When did federal employees get Christmas Eve off?
By executive order, in years the Federal Register lists: 2007, 2009 (half day), 2012, 2015 (half day), 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025. In 2025, Executive Order 14371 closed agencies on Wednesday, December 24 and Friday, December 26. This list is not a complete history.
Was Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2025?
Not by statute. Executive Order 14371, signed December 18, 2025, closed executive departments and agencies and excused employees on Wednesday, December 24 and Friday, December 26, 2025, with agency heads allowed to keep offices open for national security, defense or other public need.
Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday for banks?
No. The Federal Reserve Banks' schedule has no closure on December 24, 2026, and commercial banks set their own branch hours. NYSE closes at 1:00 p.m. ET and SIFMA recommends a 2:00 p.m. ET bond market close.
Is the stock market open on Christmas Eve 2026?
Yes, with an early close at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 24, 2026 (NYSE lists eligible options closing at 1:15 p.m. ET). The market is closed on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25.
Is mail delivered on Christmas Eve 2026?
December 24 is not on USPS's 2026 holiday list; USPS lists Friday, December 25 as the holiday with no mail service. Post Office retail hours can vary, so check your local office.
Sources: 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays · OPM: Federal Holidays · OPM: Holidays, Work Schedules, and Pay · Federal Register: executive orders closing agencies (search) · USPS: holidays and events · NYSE: holidays and trading hours · SIFMA: holiday schedule · Federal Reserve Financial Services: holiday schedules