🎄 Christmas and New Year in Europe: How Many Days Off Do People Take and Where is Christmas Eve a Holiday?

Christmas and the turn of the year are times when companies and employees take a well-deserved break. For most of Europe, the main public holidays are December 25th (Christmas Day), December 26th (St. Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day), and January 1st (New Year’s Day). However, there are significant differences in how many days of vacation people take to extend their time off.

I. Public Holidays: Where is December 24th a Day Off?

While the majority of Western European countries treat December 24th (Christmas Eve) as a standard working day, often shortened, Central and Northern Europe follow different rules.

Interesting Fact: Countries like Czechia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, or Finland recognize December 24th as a paid public holiday, or it is commonly treated as a non-working day. In most Western countries (Germany, Italy, France), employees must use annual leave for Christmas Eve.

II. Strategic Leave Planning: How to “Create” 10 Days of Vacation

Given that December 25th, 26th, and January 1st are public holidays, the period between Christmas and New Year is ideal for strategic vacation planning.

Most European employees, especially in countries with 20–25 days of statutory leave (such as Germany, Poland, Czechia, Austria, or Scandinavia), use this period for an extended winter break.

Common Practice in Europe:

• Minimum Block (3–4 days): If you only take leave on December 27th, 30th, and 31st (assuming the 24th is a day off or shortened), you gain up to 9–10 days off, using only 3 days of annual leave.
• Company-wide Shutdown (Betriebsferien): In Germany and Austria, where 25–30 days of vacation is common, many manufacturing and administrative companies automatically mandate a company shutdown (usually 3–5 days) between Christmas and New Year to fully close operations and minimize costs.

Employees often use 3–4 days of leave for a week off, saving the remainder for their summer holidays.

III. Long-Term Trend: Annual Leave Duration in Europe

European countries generally have some of the most generous statutory entitlements to paid annual leave.

• 20 days (4 weeks): The statutory minimum in many EU countries (e.g., Czechia, Germany, Poland, Hungary).
• 25 days or more (5+ weeks): Common in countries like Austria, France, Denmark, or Sweden. Employers often offer above-standard entitlements (e.g., 30 days is often the norm in Germany).

The higher statutory leave entitlement in Scandinavia and some Western European countries gives employees greater flexibility in planning long Christmas breaks without having to “scrape” days from their summer vacation.

🇵🇭 Interesting Fact from the Philippines: Christmas from September to Three Kings

If you think the Christmas rush starts early in Europe, know that the Philippines – a predominantly Catholic country – has the longest Christmas season in the world.

• When does it start? Celebrations, carols, and decorations officially begin in September, with the start of the “Ber-months” (September, October, November, December).
• When does it end? The festive atmosphere peaks with the traditional midnight feast Noche Buena on December 24th, but it officially concludes only on Three Kings’ Day (January 6th) or even as late as Candlemas (February 2nd).

The Filipino Christmas is thus a four-month marathon, during which work, compared to Europe, is less affected by public holidays but is accompanied by a continuous festive atmosphere.