diff --git a/usr.bin/calendar/calendar.1 b/usr.bin/calendar/calendar.1
--- a/usr.bin/calendar/calendar.1
+++ b/usr.bin/calendar/calendar.1
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 .\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
 .\" SUCH DAMAGE.
 .\"
-.Dd July 31, 2022
+.Dd December 17, 2023
 .Dt CALENDAR 1
 .Os
 .Sh NAME
@@ -213,9 +213,8 @@
 .Pp
 If the shared file is not referenced by a full pathname,
 .Nm
-searches in the current (or home) directory first, and then in the
-directory
-.Pa /usr/share/calendar .
+searches in the same order of precedence described in
+.Sx FILES .
 .Pp
 Blank lines and text protected by the C comment syntax
 .Ql /* ... */
diff --git a/usr.bin/calendar/io.c b/usr.bin/calendar/io.c
--- a/usr.bin/calendar/io.c
+++ b/usr.bin/calendar/io.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <err.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
 #include <libutil.h>
 #include <locale.h>
 #include <pwd.h>
@@ -102,9 +103,11 @@
 static FILE *
 cal_fopen(const char *file)
 {
+	static int cwdfd = -1;
 	FILE *fp;
 	char *home = getenv("HOME");
 	unsigned int i;
+	int fd;
 	struct stat sb;
 	static bool warned = false;
 	static char calendarhome[MAXPATHLEN];
@@ -114,6 +117,34 @@
 		return (NULL);
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * On -a runs, we would have done a chdir() earlier on, but we also
+	 * shouldn't have used the initial cwd anyways lest we bring
+	 * unpredictable behavior upon us.
+	 */
+	if (!doall && cwdfd == -1) {
+		cwdfd = open(".", O_DIRECTORY | O_PATH);
+		if (cwdfd == -1)
+			err(1, "open(cwd)");
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Check $PWD first as documented.
+	 */
+	if (cwdfd != -1) {
+		if ((fd = openat(cwdfd, file, O_RDONLY)) != -1) {
+			if ((fp = fdopen(fd, "r")) == NULL)
+				err(1, "fdopen(%s)", file);
+
+			cal_home = NULL;
+			cal_dir = NULL;
+			cal_file = file;
+			return (fp);
+		} else if (errno != ENOENT && errno != ENAMETOOLONG) {
+			err(1, "open(%s)", file);
+		}
+	}
+
 	if (chdir(home) != 0) {
 		warnx("Cannot enter home directory \"%s\"", home);
 		return (NULL);