How to Switch US Holidays to Regular Events in Google Calendar: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hey there, holiday pals! It’s your Holiday Little Assistant back with another helpful guide. Today we’re tackling a question I get all the time: how to change those US holidays in Google Calendar from official holidays to regular events. Whether you want to customize your calendar view or just clean up your schedule, I’ve got you covered!

First off, let me say – Google Calendar’s default US holiday calendar is super convenient… until it’s not. Maybe you don’t celebrate all those federal holidays, or perhaps they’re just cluttering up your work schedule. Whatever your reason, modifying these entries is easier than you might think!

Why would someone want to change holidays to regular events?

Great question! Here are the most common reasons folks ask me about this:
1. Work schedule clarity: When holidays show up as “free” time, it can mess with your productivity tracking.
2. Custom celebrations: You might want to observe different holidays than the default US set.
3. Minimalist approach: Some people prefer a cleaner calendar without automatic entries.
4. International needs: If you work across timezones, US holidays might not be relevant.
5. Personalization: You can change the color or notifications when they’re regular events.

Step-by-step: Converting holidays to regular events

Here’s my foolproof method (works on both desktop and mobile):
1. Open Google Calendar in your web browser and log in.
2. Look for “US Holidays” in the “Other calendars” section on the left.
3. Hover over it and click the three dots that appear → “Settings”.
4. Here’s the trick: Don’t unsubscribe! Instead, click “Browse calendars of interest”.
5. Find the specific holiday you want to change and click on it.
6. Now you’ll see an option to “Copy to my calendar” – bingo!
7. The holiday will now appear as a regular event you can edit, color-code, or delete.
8. Pro tip: Want to do this in bulk? Use the “Import & export” function with a custom CSV file!

Alternative method: Creating your own holiday calendar

For ultimate control, consider making your own holiday calendar:
1. Create a new calendar (left sidebar → “+” next to “Other calendars”).
2. Name it something like “My Custom Holidays”.
3. Manually add only the holidays you want as regular events.
4. Bonus: You can share this calendar with family or coworkers!

Remember friends, Google Calendar is all about flexibility. Whether you’re converting existing holidays or building your own system from scratch, the power is in your hands. I recommend playing around with both methods to see which works best for your needs!

So there you have it – your complete guide to transforming those default US holidays into customizable events in Google Calendar. No more being stuck with holidays you don’t observe or need! If this helped you out, why not explore some of our other calendar customization tips? Until next time, happy scheduling from your Holiday Little Assistant!