White House Press Secretary Jay Carney isn't quite ready to say good-bye to the holiday break - and he has the beard to prove it.

Stepping up to the podium for his first press briefing in over two weeks, Carney surprised reporters with a scruffy post-holiday beard.

"My wife says she likes it," Carney said. (Carney is married to ABC News' Claire Shipman.)

@PressSec sports post-holiday beard. Says his wife likes it. pic.twitter.com/3cGKWwLmYY

- Ann Compton (@AnnCompton) January 6, 2014

"It's actually an homage to Mark Knoller," Carney later added, referencing a CBS News White House correspondent who regularly dons a beard.

Finally, I'm a fashion trendsetter.

- Mark Knoller (@markknoller) January 6, 2014

Nice scruff, @PressSec. #GetBeard, pic.twitter.com/v0fL9u6dH9

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 6, 2014

By the end of Monday's briefing, one reporter noted Carney's facial hair had already become famous on social media.

"Your beard has a Twitter handle already," one reporter said to him.

The Twitter handle honoring Carney's scruffy face, @presssecbeard, amassed over 130 followers since Monday's press briefing.