The last and best known of the federal holidays is most certainly Christmas Day, the annual Christian holiday celebrated on December 25 marking and honoring the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Although not all Christian sects celebrate the holiday and many other non-Christians celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday. Christmas Day is designated as December 25th, though many don't believe this to be the actually day of the birth of Jesus, the date may have been chosen to correspond with either a Roman festival, or with the winter solstice.
Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations-including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between Saint Nicholas and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media.
Christmas Eve, December 24th, is also a day of celebration for many with numerous events and observations that lead up to Christmas Day. Christmas became an official federal holiday in 1870 when it was enacted by President Grant. As early as the 1930's people began expressing concerns over the commercialization of Christmas when President Delano Roosevelt wanted to move Thanksgiving forward to make the holiday shopping season longer in hopes of boosting the economy.
Today new controversy has risen with many feeling that having Christmas Day as a federal holiday violates the separation of church and state. The argument began in the 1980's but has been repeatedly overruled in courts and remains as a federal holiday. Today there are many recognizable elements to Christmas celebrations, among the most notable being Christmas trees, exchanging gifts, Santa Clause and the nativity scene.
Of special note, the President ordered
executive branch agencies to close on Friday, Dec. 26, giving most
federal employees a four-day Christmas weekend. That means federal
workers will get that day off, with pay. The order does not apply to
Postal Service employees.
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