It’s January 2026, and the dust has finally settled on the holiday season. If you were looking for the usual presidential fanfare at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this past month, things felt a little... different. Specifically, the Biden Christmas Eve holiday took on a much quieter, more private tone than the massive public spectacles of years past.
Why? Well, the political calendar moved fast.
With the transition of power already in the books by late 2025, Joe Biden wasn't the one signing executive orders for federal holidays this time around. That job fell to Donald Trump, who actually granted federal employees a massive five-day break by closing agencies on both December 24 and December 26. But for Joe Biden, the man who spent decades in the public eye, Christmas Eve 2025 was about family, a controversial photo, and a very specific pasta dinner.
The Biden Christmas Eve Tradition: Pasta and Family
People often forget that the Bidens are creatures of habit. Even when the world is screaming outside, they stick to the script. For the Biden Christmas Eve gathering, that script almost always involves a massive Italian-style dinner.
We aren't talking about a light snack. It’s a full-blown carb-fest.
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The family usually gathers for a seafood pasta dish—a nod to the Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes"—though the Bidens have their own Delaware-meets-Philly spin on it. In past years at the White House, they’d have the chefs whip it up, but in 2025, the vibe was much more "former President" than "Commander in Chief."
That Viral Christmas Eve Photo
You probably saw it on X (formerly Twitter).
Joe Biden posted a family photo on Christmas Eve that sent the internet into a tailspin. In the image, several members of the Biden clan are huddled in front of a towering, beautifully decorated tree. The weird part? Joe himself is barely visible.
- Hunter Biden is standing front and center, looking like the lead singer of a band.
- Jill Biden is positioned right in front of Joe, with her head partially blocking his face.
- The rest of the grandkids—Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy—are all clearly framed.
Critics jumped on it immediately. Some called it a "changing of the guard" moment, while others just thought it was a poorly timed snapshot. Either way, it was the definitive image of the Biden Christmas Eve holiday in 2025. It showed a man who seemed content to step into the background, literally and figuratively, while his son took the spotlight.
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How 2025 Differed from the White House Years
Honestly, the contrast is wild. When you're the sitting President, Christmas Eve is a logistical nightmare involving the Secret Service, secure comms, and "The Football" following you to midnight mass.
In 2025, the Biden Christmas Eve was stripped of the official "presidential" duties.
Back in 2024, Biden was the one issuing the holiday memos. He was the one visiting patients at Children’s National Hospital—a tradition he and Jill took very seriously. This year, that role was filled by the incoming administration. While the new White House decor theme was "Home is Where the Heart Is" (complete with a 6,000-piece Lego puzzle of Trump’s face), the Bidens were likely at their home in Wilmington or a private rental, focusing on the grandkids.
The "In-Lieu-Of" Holiday Confusion
There was a lot of chatter this year about the federal holiday schedule. Since Christmas fell on a Thursday in 2025, the sitting President (Trump) signed an Executive Order on December 18 to close the government on Wednesday, Dec 24, and Friday, Dec 26.
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This created a five-day weekend for feds.
If you were a federal employee, you were likely toasted. If you were looking for Biden’s input on this, there wasn't any. He was officially in "lame duck" or "former" status depending on the specific transition timing of the week, leaving the holiday administrative heavy lifting to his successor.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Biden Holidays
There's a common misconception that the Bidens spend every waking second at a gala. Kinda the opposite.
- They aren't "mansion" people on the holidays. They prefer the cramped, loud energy of a full house.
- The sandwiches matter. Jill Biden has a tradition of making bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches for everyone to eat on their way home after the holiday.
- The Church is a non-negotiable. Whether in DC or Delaware, Joe doesn't miss Christmas Eve Mass. It’s his reset button.
Actionable Insights for Following Presidential Holidays
If you're trying to keep track of how these high-profile holidays actually work, here’s the reality:
- Watch the OPM Memos: If you want to know if you're getting time off, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the only source that matters, not the news headlines.
- Look at the "Historical Association" Ornaments: The 2025 White House ornament actually celebrated the 150th anniversary of State Dinners. These are often the best "official" keepsakes of a presidency’s final holiday season.
- Expect the "Background" Shift: As we saw with the Biden Christmas Eve photo, former presidents often intentionally fade into the background of family shots to signal their retirement from the 24/7 news cycle.
The Biden era of holidays has officially transitioned into a more private, family-centric phase. While the world watches the new administration’s gold-leafed trees, the Bidens seem perfectly happy with their pasta and their grandkids.