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Will feds get an extra day off on Christmas Eve?
Presidents often grant a four-day weekend when the holiday falls on a Tuesday.
Update: Obama on Friday, Dec. 21, issued an executive order declaring Christmas Eve 2012 a federal holiday. See our story here.
History suggests that President Obama is likely to give federal employees a Christmas present this year: an extra day off on Dec. 24.
The White House has not yet said anything about Christmas Eve, but in recent years presidents have granted feds a four-day weekend when Christmas falls on a Tuesday or Thursday. This year Christmas is on a Tuesday.
Obama did not grant feds any extra time off around the holiday last year, when it fell on the weekend anyway. But President George W. Bush gave feds Christmas Eve off in 2007 and 2001, the most recent years Christmas was on a Tuesday.
Presidents often announce the bonus vacation day in early December, so stay tuned.