Christmas leave priority

As harsh as this sounds, the ramifications of this will only be as huge as a grievance that would take 20 minutes to wrap up.

Oh dear, your bitterness must be hard to live with. We have all been childfree at some point. I happily worked to allow families to have time together. But I never felt the way you do because I'm was never as resentful and sulky as you are.
Nobody elses fault you chose to live 5 hours away from family.
Good luck with working Christmas.

Someone else posted saying that people without kids get lots of other benefits that people with kids don’t get so we should effectively suck it up.

Keen to hear what these benefits are as I don’t think I’ve been receiving them!

So i have 4 kids if I had them 7 years apart and worked there i wouldn't have to do a Christmas for 28 years and by then I'd slot into the grandparent slot. Which would take me to retirement if all 4 had kids spaced out.

You could drive to your parents on Christmas Eve after work. You could drive there on Christmas Day. You’d just prefer to have a lie in.

I find it really odd that you think your desire to have a lie in should be catered for somehow. You’re exceptionally entitled for someone who doesn’t want to accommodate others lives or wishes at all!

There is no "solid reason" beyond that fact that some want to be prioritised over everyone else, OP

And as my old mum used to say, "Wanting isn't the same as getting"

What the hell have I just read?
No way would I work for such a ridiculous company

I think most parents are with you here. A minority of entitled ones are hopefully not representative.

Many people, institutions, industries etc can find themselves working over the whole of the Christmas period , Dec 25-31, not just Christmas Day, depending on their rotas, schedules or local arrangements.
I worked for a organisation that ran 24 hours a day, 365 days a year but there was never any problem with finding people to work on Christmas Day, because they were paid an additional three days’ pay for that one day, as well as getting a day off in lieu.
People actually volunteered for it - singletons, people happy to get out of going to Mum and Dad’s, people with older children, those of other faiths, jaded divorcés, the Christmas-phobic and many oldies all queued up for it.

Paying a decent rate and asking for volunteers is the way to do it.

As someone who has a child, that is a ridiculous and unfair for your work to prioritise xmas leave like that. First come first served is the fairest way. Just because you don’t have children, doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice the holidays for parents and grandparents.
Yes it’s nice for children but everyone should be treated equally.

Absolutely.

Except none of them work Christmas Day, Boxing day, bank holidays or even weekends by the sound of it.. so to be honest this whole argument is moot.. no one is missing out on Christmas, even if OPs employers have bought in a stupid rule for the remaining days of holiday.

This comment could equally apply to people with kids or grandkids. They took a job knowing they may have to work Christmas and could also spend time with their kids on the other days.

Again, the assumption is that children are the sole responsibility of the parents which isn't realistic in a society that needs children. Not only do we need children, we need healthy, well educated children that are in a position to contribute to society. They will be paying the tax for your state pension. They will be working in the care homes, supermarkets, police stations etc that you rely on when you're old.
We need to always remember that the direct beneficiaries of investment in children are almost always the children themselves. We have all been children once. Was it you or your parents that benefited in the long term from your education or dental care?

sometimes we need to recognise that childhood Christmases are time limited and more poignant for most people
We don't, though. Not for any reason that isn't just an appeal to emotion.

And you chose to live 5 hours away from your family.

Neither of those things should be anyone else's problem.

Neither them as parents, or you living 5 hours away from your parents should get preferential treatment when it comes to things like Christmas and Easter.

I would be very unhappy with your employers too.

Ok, cool. It's an open discussion forum, so I've achieved discussion, I think!

Tbh I actually do think family time with children is far more important. I dont care as much for other holiday but Christmas is completely magical with children and they are only young for such a short period of time.
Other people might find Christmas magical with their partner/elderly parent/other loved one. Who are you to say it's special with little kids to the point that parents need to have it ring-fenced?
And why should it being magical entitle parents to priority leave?

Of course, but it shows the irrelevance of "but it was a choice!" as an argument.

What? Please clarify your point

It's a bit odd to prioritise like that especially the grandparent coming second over a parent. Might be worth raising with your union rep?

Christmas is one of the hardest to cover in relation to childcare though. In my area everything is shut for 2 weeks, no nursery, no holiday clubs etc.

We have to have a skeleton cover at work it's the only one that's contentious. I have 2 young children but have still done 7 out of 10 (and 2 were mat leaves!) for at least 2 days.
We started a volunteer rota as it became clear it was the same faces! If there isn't enough cover then the ones who haven't done it at all or for a long time are forced to.