12/22 also could have been Christmas vacation, so no school the next day.
Can’t speak for Alabama, but in my school in NJ, Christmas vacation started on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24th (half day of school).
Could be but usually it started the Friday before Christmas and ended the Monday after 1/1. Sometimes going for almost 14 days. With 12/25 on a Sunday, the break would start on Friday or Saturday, then 1/1 would follow as the following Monday ends the break.