Gregory Korte

USA TODAY

President Obama signed an executive order Friday giving federal employees the day after Christmas off.

The order means that most federal offices and agencies will be closed Dec. 26 -- and federal workers will get a paid, four-day holiday weekend.

The order allows agencies to make an exception "for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need."

It's by no means unprecedented Obama last closed the government for a day on Dec. 24, 2012, a Monday. President George W. Bush gave four days off during Christmas week.

Thousands of federal employees had signed a petition on the White House web site asking for this year's holiday. But the petition failed to reach a 100,000-signature threshhold requiring a formal reply, so Obama's action was not in direct response to the petition.

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