To think you shouldn't have to work in the office on Christmas Eve?

Very miserable. Christmas Eve is the best day of the festive period. I used to work in education and when I stopped and realised I might have to work on Christmas Eve, I was distraught. We run our team on a skeleton of volunteers, as we do need physical presence. For all the typical hairshirt mumsnetters who say it’s just another day - it’s not, and it’s clear that the OP would have taken leave if she could.

The last 3 offices I've worked, there was no expectation for people to come in on Xmas eve. One was an events company, one was a tech company and one was a school. Given the choice I wouldn't work somewhere with rules like your place OP. I get why some roles need people to work onsite, but if a job can be done remotely then I think it's only right to allow flexibility for workers.

So many corporate bootlickers on this thread. OP can do her job perfectly well from home, including from her parents Christmas Eve. Its an arbitrary rule that management themselves won't adhere to but expect OP to for no real reason. Sad that some people are so indoctrinated that they think this sort of thing purely for the sake of it is reasonable.

They don't if they can travel up the night before then work from home (albeit their parents!?) This is just the boss being unnecessarily Grinchy.

Then they NEED to book time off work, like they would any other time of the year.

That's just semantics. If a person's family lives six hours away by car and you want to be with them on Christmas morning then, yes, you NEED to travel on Christmas Eve, if not before.

Because if she's already at home, bags packed, she can likely be on the road to Cornwall as soon as she's finished work.

Right? But it's not for the OP in light of the reasons she's given.
If you have any constructive advice, I'm sure OP would be happy to hear it...

Hmm, and be asked if she also wants his responsibility as well?

Obviously in reality Christmas Eve is not just like any other day. The thing is in employment law it is. So any difference to a normal working day is down to the goodwill of your employer.

The thing is, if Christmas Eve holidays become ‘a thing’, then people will still start demanding 23rd December time- off, so they can get to Granny's house for Christmas Eve…

OP seems to be proposing that there should be an extra paid holiday every year, but only for office-based employees. I'd like to see any politician take that one up!

I work in IT, we have loads of deadlines end of the year and we also need to be working because our clients might have problems we need to help with.
BUT our management is always present, handing out chocolate milk or other festive treats to show the employees they are really around.

It does seem very mean spirited, especially if managers are working from home! I’m not sure what else you can do though other than call in sick (although they will know exactly why!) and get your request for a/l in quicker next year.

The reality is that so many people are off over Christmas that Xmas eve isn't a normal working day, you can't progress things in the usual way so it's holding the fort type work.

Your manager is being a twat.

I use to work all over xmas same as a few others i know.
Id rather work than deal with xmas crap.
But as the years have gone on i just piss off on holiday now.

as other threads have demonstrated, people are moving away gladly from wfm
for the social aspect

The world has changed.

COVID exposed a reality that many, many jobs can be done from home and the people who object to that are usually envious as would love to work from home but can't, or the type of people who want to be in the office because it's their only source of social interaction and they want other people to suffer listening to their crap all day or doing their work for them.

She could drive there the night before and work in Cornwall Christmas Eve

It’s not that they need to trim the fat, we have a lot of work and usually work hard but it’s work that can wait a week over that period so they ease off on us.

Wow, that's sobering.

We have far too much work for that. We're still working manically (at home or not) even up to and over Christmas. (Also public sector)

It shows there is still some public sector fat to trim.

I’m a civil servant and work on a hybrid rota, we were due to be in on Christmas Eve and they’ve ‘kindly’ allowed us to work from home that day, last year and the year before they let us have the whole week at home but not this year. Don’t see why really, most the the work days in that week revolve around games over Teams and very little actual work

Sweat Jesus chrust I actually can not believe what I am reading I am nearly 30 years woromung in office work most attached ti factories even the factories that ran 24 7 Xmas eve eas if it wasn't a day off was a doss day. people who came in came in late long canteen lunches sweets brought in sparkling fruit juice ( cause we couldn't drink 😂) long lunches sweet f all was done. no one in Europe was working USA not online yet and Asia was asleep. we all had long lunches abd everyone snuk off. it hasn't changed sorry to disappoint you mumnrstters. one company was annoying as we had yowait for the md to come round wishing each department happy Xmas but sweet f all was done. where I work now due to the way Xmas is falling they ate working overtime coming up to Xmas and production finishing the Friday before Xmas. it would cost a fortune to open the two days before Xmas. about 80 per cent are finishing the Friday before Xmas. people can work Monday and Xmas eve - Xmas. people can work the two days after but they will have great peace
to everyone who says its a normal day it's not really and has been for 50 years or so. op your boss is an ass look for a new job ASAP. i did that once I eaa told I couldn't half Xmas eve off cause didn't have children - I had it booked and approved the Jan previously

It's also wildly unacceptable to work on confidential /commercially sensitive stuff on a train.

I have lost count of the conversations I shouldnt have over heard and screens I shouldn't have seen

Most jobs cannot be worked from a random train, hotel or spare room, even if they are WFH jobs.

I would argue the opposite, actually.