Yes, you can refuse a Christmas holiday request if you've got a business reason and you give notice at least as long as the holiday they asked for - so a no to five days needs to reach them five days before it starts. You can cancel holiday you've already approved with the same notice, but we really wouldn't unless it's a genuine emergency. And you can't keep saying no until they can't use their holiday at all.
Nobody likes saying no to Christmas. We certainly don't. But if four people want the 29th and you can only spare two, somebody's going to hear it - so it's worth getting the how right, because that's what people remember long after they've forgotten the actual dates.
How much notice do I need to refuse holiday?
At least as long as the holiday they asked for, counted in calendar days before it starts. So:
| They asked for | You need to say no at least | What we'd actually do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day (say, 31 December) | 1 day before | Answer within a week of them asking |
| 3 days (29 to 31 December) | 3 days before | Answer within a week of them asking |
| 5 days | 5 days before | Answer within a week of them asking |
| 2 weeks | 14 days before | Answer within a week of them asking |
Yes, the last column's the same every time. That's the point. The legal minimum is really short - you could technically say no on 26 December to someone wanting the 29th to the 31st. But that's a horrible thing to do to someone, and if your contracts say something different on notice, they win anyway. Our rule is just to answer every Christmas request within a week and to have them all answered by early November.
In Book Time Off the approver gets an email the moment someone books, with approve and decline buttons right there - no logging in. If it sits there unanswered, they get a reminder the next working day, then another a few days later. So requests don't go stale in someone's inbox until December. It won't make the decision for you, but it does stop you forgetting to make it.
→ Start free trialCan I cancel holiday I've already approved?
You can, legally - the notice is the same, at least as long as the holiday. But honestly, we'd only ever do it for a real emergency. Cancelling Christmas holiday someone's already planned around is about the quickest way we can think of to lose a good member of staff.
If you genuinely have to, do it face to face first, explain exactly why and offer to cover any money they lose - cancelled flights, deposits, that sort of thing. You're not legally obliged to, but if they're out of pocket because of you, it's the right thing to do. Then ask whether part of the holiday could still work, because often it can.
The better fix is not getting into that position. If you're not sure you can spare someone, don't say yes yet - say "let me check cover and I'll come back to you by Friday" and actually come back by Friday.
What counts as a good reason to say no?
Anything that's genuinely about the business. Not having enough cover is the obvious one. Others we'd count:
- The team's already at the number you can have off that day.
- It's your busiest trading period and you've told people that in advance (retail in the last fortnight before Christmas, for example).
- There's a deadline or a job that genuinely can't move.
- They've asked after your deadline and the cover's gone.
What doesn't count is "I just don't fancy it", or saying no to one person and yes to someone else in the same position. That's the stuff that turns into grievances. If you're blocking off busy dates, say so in the Christmas email so nobody wastes a request on them.
Book Time Off lets you block dates for the whole company - your busiest trading days, stocktake, whatever it is - so people can't book them in the first place. It means fewer requests you have to turn down, because the answer's on the calendar before anyone asks. It's not clever, but it saves a lot of awkward "no"s.
→ Start free trialHow to say no without the awkward conversation
You can't make it painless, but you can make it a lot less awkward. What works for us:
- Say it quickly. Every day you wait, they're making plans around a yes.
- Point to the rule, not to a person. "We can only have two off that day and it's full" beats "well, Sam asked first".
- Offer something - a different day, first pick next Christmas or a swap with someone who's happy to.
- Follow it up with a line in writing, so there's no "I thought you said..." in December.
We've had to tell someone they couldn't have the week they wanted because someone else had already booked it. There's no nice way of saying it. What made it easier wasn't the wording - it was being able to say "the rule's been in everyone's inbox since October". It turned it from us saying no into the rule saying no, which is a lot easier for both sides.
Most of this stops being an issue if everyone knows the rules up front. We've written up the whole approach in how to manage Christmas holiday requests, and if it's the "who gets it" bit you're stuck on, there's who gets Christmas off?
What if they go anyway?
Then it's unauthorised absence, and you can treat it under your normal disciplinary process. But talk to them first. In our experience it's almost never someone deliberately ignoring you - it's a misunderstanding about whether it was actually refused, or something's happened at home. Which is another good reason to put every no in writing.
If it was a genuine "I asked, you said no, I went anyway", that's a conduct issue and it's fair to deal with it as one. Just be consistent with how you'd handle it any other time of year. For anything formal, ACAS has free guidance on disciplinary procedures.
The legal bit, if you need it
You don't need this to get Christmas sorted, but here's what the rules actually say if anyone asks.
- You can refuse a holiday request if you give counter-notice at least as long as the holiday asked for, in calendar days (ACAS, GOV.UK).
- You can cancel approved holiday with the same notice - at least as long as the holiday - though ACAS says employers should have a good business reason (ACAS).
- Contracts can change these notice rules, and if they do, the contract applies (ACAS).
- Staff must be able to take their full 5.6 weeks across the leave year, so refusals can't stop someone using their statutory holiday altogether (GOV.UK).
- Unauthorised absence can be dealt with through your disciplinary procedure, following the ACAS Code of Practice (ACAS).
Sources
| ACAS | Asking for and taking holiday · Refusing and cancelling holiday, notice rules. Checked October 2026. |
| GOV.UK | Holiday entitlement: booking time off · Notice periods for refusing holiday. Checked October 2026. |
| GOV.UK | Holiday entitlement · 5.6 weeks' statutory holiday. Checked October 2026. |
| ACAS | Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures · Handling unauthorised absence. Checked October 2026. |
FAQs
This is practical, general information for UK employers. If you've got a dispute brewing or something unusual in a contract, talk to ACAS (it's free) or an employment solicitor.