President Trump makes Christmas Eve a federal holiday

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Victoria33

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President Trump makes Christmas Eve a federal holiday​

By Steven Nelson
December 11, 2020

President Trump on Friday signed an order giving federal workers a paid day off work on Christmas Eve.

The news was a welcome surprise for workers who expected at most a half day.

Trump’s order says, “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.”
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President Trump makes Christmas Eve a federal holiday (nypost.com)
 
Christmas Eve has traditionally not been a federal holiday because it would involve two back to back closure days of the federal reserve banks.

For example, the day after thanksgiving, most people take off, schools are closed. It’s considered a long weekend. It isn’t a federal holiday.

Christmas Eve isn’t even the Holy Day of obligation, Christmas Day is.

And I say this as the one who prepares the feast of the (almost) seven fishes.
 
F_Marturana said:
Christmas Eve has traditionally not been a federal holiday because it would involve two back to back closure days of the federal reserve banks.
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So, if this sticks…what happens when Christmas is on Friday? Will the Fed Reserve ignore the December 24th holiday in order to not be closed Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday? Or, could they require working on Saturday?
 
I don’t know.

This year Christmas is on a Friday.

Nice four day holiday weekend. But that doesn’t happen for Thanksgiving. Friday after thanksgiving is not a federal holiday.

I used to work for a company that kept the federal reserve schedule. The day after thanksgiving was always a work day.

🤷‍♀️

Brownie points I guess for the base.
 
I worked in a hospital lab so we worked every day of the year…but, we got holiday pay for working on the specific holiday. For thanksgiving, we always gave those who on rotation were due to be off on Thanksgiving also got Friday sat Sunday off as well. If Christmas was on Friday or Monday we gave them three days off. I really doubt that Christmas Eve will be declared eligible for holiday pay!

I wonder why it was important to Trump to make December 24th a paid holiday? What’s the need? Most places closed early anyway and I think many government offices closed at noon also?
 
Pattylt said:
I wonder why it was important to Trump to make December 24th a paid holiday? What’s the need? Most places closed early anyway and I think many government offices closed at noon also?
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Christmas Eve is traditionally given off to federal employees. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when, I started my career as a federal employee, and we were given it off by the President each year.

He can’t actually make it a permanent federal holiday. Only Congress can do that.

There’s nothing new here, but I’m certain every federal employee appreciates it. I know I did.
 
So if someone has gifts coming via USPS, they need to arrive by the 23rd to be there by Xmas. 🤔
 
Great.

Fed ex and UPS get more business. US postal service less revenue!
 
Not so way back to me, I always had to go in Christmas Eve. And Friday after thanksgiving.

And if July fourth was on a Thursday.

If the federal reserve was open, my office was open.
 
F_Marturana said:
If the federal reserve was open, my office was open.
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I wonder if the Federal Reserve is exempted because it’s a bank? There are some strange laws about banks not being able to be closed two days in a row or something (my father worked for a bank a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long time ago!).
 
Maybe that’s the issue. The banks can’t be off two days straight. I don’t remember.
 
In 1976 when Carter made July 5 a national holiday for that year, California had to do special legislation to exempt banks from declaring bankruptcy. Because of all the bank runs during the depression and banks shutting for days on end rather than pay out money, California had passed a law stating that if a bank was closed for 4 days in a row, it was the same as declaring bankruptcy. I suspect many states have the same law.
 
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The Democratic Mayor of my city did that three years ago!
 
I didn’t realize that this was just a one year only proclamation! For some reason, I thought this would apply for all years to come! 😂

Heck, I didn’t even know it was permitted to do it for just one year! Sometimes, my stupidity bothers me! 🤣
 
Among others, I get Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day off every year.

Happy Holidays to Me
 
Well, yes but that’s because I always get weekends off 🙂
 
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Trump did not make Christmas Eve a federal holiday … what he did is grant an extra 8 hours of leave for December 24th. This time is allowed by executive order and is for this December 24th only - not any future December 24th … also it does not grant leave to any person who is deemed essential and not for any federal employee that had already requested and approved use of annual leave. They will still be required to use their leave as approved.

This is not the first time Trump did this and he is not the only president who has done so …

This is not really a newly created “federal holiday” … so referring to it as such is a misnomer
 
Pattylt said:
I really doubt that Christmas Eve will be declared eligible for holiday pay!

I wonder why it was important to Trump to make December 24th a paid holiday? What’s the need? Most places closed early anyway and I think many government offices closed at noon also?
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It wont be eligible for holiday pay - and those scheduled for annual leave will continue to use their leave …

Depending on the day of the week - December 24th - there are years when zero paid time off has been granted [Wednesday is the day least likely to garner time off]. Some years the paid additional time has been 2 hours to 8 hours with four additional hours being most common,

Many presidents have granted extra leave on December 24th … why do you feel the need to demonize Trump … do you nit pick every other president? … Like Obama who did similar things
 
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