This holiday season, even amid persistent global unrest, a spirit of renewal and joyful celebration is sweeping the nation — starting right at the heart of the federal government.

President Donald Trump just delivered an early holiday gift to federal workers: an executive order granting paid days off on Christmas Eve (December 24) and the day after Christmas (December 26). With Christmas falling on a Thursday, this creates a five-day weekend for most employees. Essential operations, including national security and public safety, continue as normal. However, it’s noteworthy that while presidents have provided extra time off around Christmas in the past — sometimes a full day or half-day on Christmas Eve — granting both surrounding days has been regarded as “unprecedented.”

In addition, President Trump announced a one-time $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” bonus for over 1.45 million active-duty and eligible reserve military servicemembers, symbolizing the year of America’s founding. Funded through reallocated housing allowance resources, this tax-free supplement recognizes service members’ sacrifices and arrives just in time for Christmas.

At the Pentagon — now branded as the Department of War — Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, hosted a Christmas Worship Service on Wednesday in the courtyard. Hundreds of military and civilian personnel gathered for an afternoon of praise to “the King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” with guests such as Christian artists Matthew West and Anne Wilson in attendance, and remarks from Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.

“I want to thank you all for sharing in this first Christmas Worship Service here at the Pentagon,” Hegseth said during the event. “It’s the least we could do in this season. We do it monthly as well — a prayer service — which we will continue to do, because, as George Washington did that first year, he went on bended knee for providence in impossible tasks.”

His heartfelt words continued as he thanked his staff for their tireless efforts. “You each day are asked to do impossible things, work impossible hours, at impossible odds, which mere men and women could not do. And that’s why we bend the knee, because we know where our strength comes from, and we need that wisdom and that guidance, that providential guide in our own lives as we try to act on behalf of our nation.”

In his own remarks, Rev. Graham praised the leadership’s support for faith and the military, stating, “It’s not just the [War] Department’s top leader, but it’s our president — his support of faith and supporting Christmas and supporting our military the way he does. It’s an honor to be here and to be at the Pentagon with these men and women who defend our nation and who put their life on the line.” And as he went on to state, the most important thing anyone can do is to stay “focused on the word of God.”

For many, this Christmas season as well as the many months leading up to it has not been joyful. 2025 saw wars, shootings, tense debates, and more. And yet, even amid uncertainties and unrest, acts of faith and charity play their role in shining light in the darkness. This is what Family Research Council’s David Closson highlighted in a comment to The Washington Stand.

“Both of these gestures — President Trump extending time for families to rest and Secretary Hegseth publicly celebrating the birth of Christ — may seem small on the surface,” Closson said, “but in a moment marked by war, unrest, and deep national anxiety, they serve as meaningful reminders of things our culture desperately needs: rest, gratitude, and moral clarity.”

As he went on to say, “Giving federal workers additional time around Christmas highlights something Christians have long affirmed: human beings are not machines. We are made for worship, for family, and for rhythms of rest.” And “at a time when our society feels stretched thin by bad news and constant crisis, allowing space to breathe and to be with loved ones speaks to the value of the human person and the goodness of God’s design for work and rest.”

However, these gestures are also meaningful because, as Closson put it, even just “Secretary Hegseth’s willingness to gather leaders at the Pentagon to worship is profoundly encouraging. It testifies to the enduring fortitude of the Christian faith. Empires rise and fall, economies strengthen and weaken, but Christ remains Lord.” When that truth is acknowledged publicly, he added, “especially from those tasked with safeguarding the nation, it reminds believers that God is not absent. Even in turbulent times, He is at work, and His people continue to bear witness to the hope found in Christ alone.”

With the New Year only weeks away, Closson concluded with encouragement for the year ahead.

“As we approach the final days of 2025 and look ahead to a new year already filled with uncertainty, my message is simple: Christians do not face the future with fear, but with confidence in God’s sovereignty,” he observed. “The world will always have unresolved conflicts, but none of them unsettle the One who rules history. Our calling remains the same: to be faithful in our families and communities, to pray for our leaders, to speak the truth with courage, and to love our neighbors with the compassion of Christ.”

“The Christmas season anchors us in a reality far larger than the headlines, namely, that God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ,” Closson added. “Alongside the resurrection, the incarnation is the most important event in human history. Because He came, we are never abandoned, and because He reigns, we can face 2026 with unwavering hope.”