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Original poster

How much time do you get off for Christmas?

105 replies

AnxiousAnniee · 12/09/2023 14:57

No reason for me asking really, I'm just curious. All of the jobs I've had I've only ever got a couple of days off (Xmas day and boxing day) but I'm going to be starting a new office job and looking forward to having a bit more time off over Christmas.

I'm interested to know, what is your job/industry and how long is your Christmas break?

OP posts:
Andywarholswig · 12/09/2023 16:37

Last Friday before Christmas is a ‘free’ thankyou day and then the office closes until 2nd January. But we need to use 3 days leave and it’s mandatory but I don’t care as I look forward to that time every year to be home with my family. Professional services

CatamaranViper · 12/09/2023 16:38

We close between xmas and ny so I try and take off as many as I can the week before and after. Usually I'm off about 3 weeks or so.

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 12/09/2023 16:38

I'm self-employed and close my business for two weeks.

ActDottie · 12/09/2023 16:38

Just the bank holidays the rest has to be booked as annual leave. I normally save 5 days for Christmas so have 5 days plus 3 bank holidays.

MonkeyPuddle · 12/09/2023 16:40

Community nurse. None. But we share out duties over the key dates.

EbiRaisukaree · 12/09/2023 16:43

Public sector, civil service ish terms - we get all bank holidays, and close for the three working days between Christmas and New Year, which is taken out of annual leave - but I get 33 days so just discount those three when I’m planning my leave.

So we all finish on Christmas Eve (or the Friday prior if it falls on a weekend) and go back the day after the new year bank holiday, 2 January. It makes a proper break at a time when commuting, doing site visits etc is at its most horrible, in the dark and cold.

Alarae · 12/09/2023 16:44

Standard bank holidays off, but effectively my whole team is off between Christmas and New Year as we all take annual leave. There is no requirement to, just happens. Due to the nature of our work no one needs to be in during that period.

tigger1001 · 12/09/2023 16:49

Finish Christmas Eve until after new year. The office closes so we are all off

JanesBlond · 12/09/2023 16:51

Bank holidays plus a half day on Christmas Eve and NYE or the last working day before. But most people take additional leave and they don’t stop people from taking leave at once.

Goldmember · 12/09/2023 16:52

When I worked in the head office for retail, only the bank holidays. Now I'm in a different industry I finish around the 21st Dec and back in 2nd Jan.

MaybeanothertimeNotReally · 12/09/2023 16:53

We have a bonus week of annual leave which is used for Christmas office closure. The whole building shuts down from Christmas Eve to Jan 2nd. So that's a lovely extra bonus week and I don't need to deal with whining colleagues trying to get me cover their shifts.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 12/09/2023 16:54

Depends how my shifts fall. Sometimes just Xmas day, sometimes I might get 5 days off.

RuthW · 12/09/2023 16:55

Nhs no hospital. Bank hols only.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 12/09/2023 16:55

We get the bank holidays and take other days as annual leave (if we can get them - luckily some people want to be in the office between Christmas and New Year).

dressedforcomfort · 12/09/2023 17:20

My organisation tends to close lunchtime on Xmas Eve and open again on first working day after New Year. I tend to take a couple of days leave in the run up too, so generally I'm off from about the 22nd.

I realise how lucky I am. My Mum worked in the NHS and was regularly absent on Christmas Day when I was growing up. I really felt it.

Turfwars · 12/09/2023 17:21

Our company also closes until January. I fucking love it. We have to use up 3-4 days AL but in all we get 10+ days off until 2nd January.

Before, when I did work in a place that opened 24/7 if I got Christmas day off there were so many colleagues being either bitchy about it, or saccharine so I'd swap or just laying on a massive guilt trip because I, personally, was ruining her kids Christmas. Then you got the ones who were more sneaky - whining to supervisors, imaginary relatives dying, and bullying other people for nicer shifts.

At the time I had a dying father for real so yeah, me having a last Christmas day with him is kind of just as fucking important as you wanting to have dinner with your family.

Temporaryname158 · 12/09/2023 17:52

I work at a college but I’m not a teacher. We have a 2 week mandatory shutdown in addition to our annual leave covering Xmas and new year so this year will be 22nd December - 8th Jan

MegaClutterSlut · 12/09/2023 17:52

Work in retail so only christmas day off and you're not allowed to book any time off in december

Dh works in an office and gets a week off

Dorksdirectdotcom · 12/09/2023 17:53

Two weeks

Bbq1 · 12/09/2023 17:54

TA
2 weeks

Ponderingwindow · 12/09/2023 17:56

Technically, 1 day.

but my office shuts non-essential services and puts essential to bare minimum. we have pretty generous leave so most people take time off.

AvocadotoastORahouse · 12/09/2023 18:13

As much as I want as I'm self employed.

November is crazy busy so I always want a good break at Christmas. This year I will be stopping on Friday 15th so I can enjoy the week running up to Christmas catching up with friends and socialising. I'll start back probably Monday 8th.

So 3 weeks this year.

blimmy · 12/09/2023 18:18

I work for a legal firm and we close completely from noon on Christmas Eve (or the Friday before it, depending on how it falls ) until the day after NYD (or the Tuesday, again depending on how the days fall). So about 11 days off in total. Technically the 3 working days off come from our annual leave allocation, but it's mandatory so I never really feel like I had those days in the first place.
In my old place, a software company, there used to be an unofficial roster each year as to who had to go in for the 2/3 days between Christmas and New year. Someone had to, they wouldn't let the whole department be off. I don't know why they stayed open as it was always dead - no meetings, no post, no phone calls, nothing to do basically!

Sillybillymillyvanilly · 12/09/2023 18:25

Not for profit and we close between Christmas and new year which doesn’t come out of leave. The pay off was that we don’t claim TOIL during year. We are talking people claiming 30mins here, 20mins there. Guaranteed someone will ask if we are going to finish early on Christmas Eve!

BarelyLiterate · 12/09/2023 18:26

The company I work for operates 364 days a year, with Christmas Day being the exception. This means that if I am scheduled to work the other days over the holiday period, I do.
If I work on either Boxing Day or NYD, I get days off in lieu, as with any other bank holiday. Apart from that, the days between Christmas & NY are normal working days, and if I want to take days off on which I’m scheduled to work, I need to book annual leave.
I actually like this system because I don’t have kids, and I’m not a big fan of Christmas, so working then & taking my leave at other times of the year suits me well.