P PrintCalendars
Federal holiday

Christmas Day

Christmas Day, December 25, is a federal holiday and the centerpiece of academic winter break.

History

Christmas Day has been a federal holiday since 1870. Its position in the academic calendar makes it the natural midpoint of winter break, which on most US calendars stretches from the end of fall finals through the first week of January.

On academic calendars

Winter break consistently encompasses Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Most K-12 and higher-ed calendars list two to three full weeks of recess across the late December and early January window.

Dates by year

Below is the full schedule for Christmas Day from 2020 through 2035. The "observed" date matches the actual date in most years; it differs only when the statutory date lands on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case federal offices observe the holiday on the adjacent weekday per OPM rules.

YearDateDayObserved
2020 December 25, 2020 Friday —
2021 December 25, 2021 Saturday Friday, December 24
2022 December 25, 2022 Sunday Monday, December 26
2023 December 25, 2023 Monday —
2024 December 25, 2024 Wednesday —
2025 December 25, 2025 Thursday —
2026 December 25, 2026 Friday —
2027 December 25, 2027 Saturday Friday, December 24
2028 December 25, 2028 Monday —
2029 December 25, 2029 Tuesday —
2030 December 25, 2030 Wednesday —
2031 December 25, 2031 Thursday —
2032 December 25, 2032 Saturday Friday, December 24
2033 December 25, 2033 Sunday Monday, December 26
2034 December 25, 2034 Monday —
2035 December 25, 2035 Tuesday —

Open the printable calendar

Each entry below opens the printable monthly grid where this holiday appears, with the day shaded in amber.