Iraq's Cabinet has designated December 25 and 26 as public holidays to mark the Christmas celebration. The government’s cabinet approved an amendment to the National Holidays Law in 2018, making Christmas a public celebration for all citizens, regardless of whether they are Christians or Muslims.

In 2008, the Iraqi government declared Christmas a "one-time" holiday. However, in the following years, this provision was not officially renewed at the national level and was only observed in recent years within the Province of Kirkuk.

The Cabinet declared that Christmas Day is a holiday for all Iraqis, not just for the Christian community, as it had been for decades.

The Christian population in Iraq, once over 1 million in 1990, has dwindled significantly due to the Gulf War, the subsequent instability, the 2003 US and UK invasion, and more recently, the conflict with the so-called Islamic State. Today, the number of Christians is estimated to be no more than 250,000.