While there are official holidays in the United States, there is no mandatory vacation time. These are the federal (national government) holidays (paid days off) from the US government site, OPM:
| Monday, January 01 | New Year’s Day (since 1870) |
| Monday, January 15 | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (observed since 1986 but only by all states since 2000) |
| Monday, February 19 * | Washington’s Birthday (since 1879 on February 22 but became the third Monday from 1968) |
| Monday, May 27 | Memorial Day (since 1888 as Decoration Day) |
| Wednesday, June 19 | Juneteenth National Independence Day (since 2021) |
| Thursday, July 04 | Independence Day (since 1870) |
| Monday, September 02 | Labor Day (since 1894) |
| Monday, October 14 | Columbus Day (since 1968) |
| Monday, November 11 | Veterans Day (since 1938 as Armistice Day to commemorate the cessation of fighting on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) |
| Thursday, November 28 | Thanksgiving Day (since 1941) |
| Wednesday, December 25 | Christmas Day (since 1870) |
If the holiday is on a Saturday, then the holiday is on the Friday before and if the holiday is on Sunday, then the holiday is observed on the Monday following. Oddly for the past many years, most holidays on the weekend have been on Sundays. The only holidays that do not change date are New Year’s, Juneteenth, July 4, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The others are considered “floating.”
In some countries like Italy or Peru, a “bridge” weekend would be when people take the day off between the holiday and the weekend. I think in the US, it is called a long weekend. For example, I can predict that because July 4 falls on a Thursday, many people will take vacation on Friday, July 5 to make a long weekend, just as many do on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
There are two holidays for the armed forces, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is for those who died in while serving in the armed forces and Veterans is for those who served in the armed forces. As of 2018, there 18 million veterans in the United States, seven percent of the adult population.
These are the country-wide official government holidays but some states have their own holidays as well. Every four years, Inauguration day is a federal holiday when the new president is sworn in.
A somewhat controversial day is Columbus Day because some consider that it should be a celebration of Native Americans (Indigenous Peoples’ Day) instead.
The only days when almost everything is closed (for half a day sometimes) are Thanksgiving and Christmas day. On those days, the airports are open and Chinese restaurants are especially busy. For many Americans who work for the private sector, they have to choose between certain days off such as Columbus Day.
For many, Memorial Day and Labor Day mark the beginning and ending of summer. In some states, outdoor pools may be only open during this season. And some people only where white slacks during this season. Or is it white shoes?