Decide how many people each team can have off on each day, then it's first come, first served up to that number, with whoever worked last Christmas winning a tie. Tell everyone the rule in October along with a deadline. Steer clear of "parents first" as a rule - it sounds kind but it can land you in trouble.
There's no perfect way of doing this, if we're honest. Somebody's always going to be disappointed when four people want the 29th and you can spare two. What you can do is make sure the disappointment is about the rule, not about you. That's the whole trick really.
We've had three people ask for the same days between Christmas and New Year within about a week of each other. We couldn't let all three go, and because there wasn't a rule, it felt like we were choosing favourites - even though we weren't. The person who missed out was fine about it in the end, but it was a horrible week. These days the rule's in the October email and it's barely an issue.
Is first come first served fair for Christmas?
Fair enough, yes - and it's definitely the simplest. Everyone knows the rule, everyone has the same chance and the people who plan ahead get rewarded for it. It's what we use and it's what most small businesses we know use too.
It does have one weakness, to be fair. Some people end up booking Christmas in February just to be safe, and anyone who can't plan that far ahead (shift workers, people waiting on family plans) can feel a bit stitched up. Two things sort most of that out for us:
- Don't open Christmas requests until you send the Christmas email in October. Anything earlier gets a polite "hang on until October".
- Use last Christmas as the tie-break, so the same person can't win every single year.
Some businesses prefer to collect everything up to the deadline and then decide all at once. That's perfectly fair too, it's just more work for you and you still need a tie-break. We find first come, first served with a cap does the same job with fewer arguments.
In Book Time Off you set how many people can be off at once in each department. Once a team's full for a date, nobody else in it can book that day, so the first-come bit genuinely is first come - not "first one the boss happened to see". You can still override it as an admin if there's a good reason. It won't do the tie-break for you, we should say, that bit's still your call.
→ Start free trialA Christmas rota: taking turns year on year
Taking turns sounds like the fairest option and over a few years it probably is. Work Christmas this year, get it off next year. Lovely.
In practice it's a bit of a faff for a small team. Someone has to keep a record of who worked which year, it goes to pieces as soon as someone leaves or a new person joins and it doesn't cope well with "I worked Boxing Day but not New Year's Eve". That's why we just use it as the tie-break rather than the main rule - you get most of the fairness without the admin.
If you've got a business that's open every day over Christmas (a care home, a pub), a proper rota probably does make sense. For an office or a trade that's mostly quiet, it's overkill.
Should parents get priority at Christmas?
We'd say no, not as a rule. We get why people want to - kids and Christmas, it's a nice thought. But it isn't fair on everyone else, who've got family too, and it can actually land you in hot water. Because more women than men tend to have the main childcare, a "parents first" rule can easily end up favouring one group over another, and rules like that can be indirect discrimination.
What you can do is be flexible person by person when someone's got a genuine reason - a split-up family where the kids are only with them every other year, say. That's just being a decent employer. It's making it the blanket rule that causes the problems.
What about staff who don't celebrate Christmas?
Don't assume. It's tempting to quietly put the person who doesn't celebrate Christmas on the rota every year, but that's not fair on them and it's a risk for you too. Lots of people who don't celebrate still want the time off - the kids are off school, the whole country's on holiday, it's a good time to travel.
If someone genuinely wants to work Christmas, brilliant, let them volunteer. Plenty do. And if you're happy to bend for Christmas, be just as flexible when they want time off for Eid, Diwali or anything else that matters to them. There's more on this in our religious holidays policy guide.
How many people can be off at once?
As many as you can lose and still do the work that actually comes in. Work that out first, per team and per day, and the answer to "who gets it" gets a lot easier because you're only choosing between a couple of people, not the whole office.
Look at last year's 27 to 31 December honestly. If the phone barely rang, you probably need fewer people in than you think. We've gone into this properly in how to manage Christmas holiday requests, and if you're thinking of just closing instead (which makes this whole question go away), there's do companies close over Christmas?
How to tell someone they can't have Christmas off
Quickly, kindly and with the reason. The longer you sit on it, the more plans they make around a yes that isn't coming.
- Tell them as soon as you know - ideally in early November, not mid December.
- Point to the rule, not to the other person. "We can only have two off that day and they're both booked" lands a lot better than "Sarah got in first".
- Offer something. Another day nearby, first pick next Christmas or a swap if someone's willing.
- Put it in writing afterwards, even just a line, so nobody remembers it differently.
We've had to have the "sorry, someone's already got that week" conversation. It's always awkward. What made the biggest difference wasn't how we worded it - it was being able to say the rule had been in everyone's inbox since October. It stops being about you and starts being about the rule, which is a lot easier for both of you.
In Book Time Off everyone can see the team wallchart, so people can usually see the 29th's already taken before they even ask. And if they do try to book a full day, it tells them straight away - so the "no" comes from the system, in the moment, not from you three weeks later. Not a replacement for actually talking to people, mind, but it takes a lot of the sting out.
→ Start free trialIf you need to turn down a request, there's a bit more to it on notice and cancelling holiday you've already agreed - we've covered that in can I refuse a Christmas holiday request?
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.
- The law doesn't say how you decide who gets popular dates off - it's up to you, as long as you're consistent and don't discriminate (ACAS).
- Rules that disadvantage a group with a protected characteristic - parents first (sex), longest-serving first (age) - can be indirect discrimination unless you can justify them (ACAS).
- Religion or belief is protected too, so don't default people who don't celebrate Christmas onto the rota (ACAS).
- To refuse a request, give notice at least as long as the holiday asked for - turning down five days needs five days' notice (GOV.UK).
- Staff must still be able to take their 5.6 weeks across the leave year, so you can't keep refusing until they can't use it (GOV.UK).
Sources
| ACAS | Asking for and taking holiday · Refusing holiday and notice. Checked October 2026. |
| ACAS | Indirect discrimination · When a rule that applies to everyone can still discriminate. Checked October 2026. |
| ACAS | Religion or belief discrimination · Religious holidays and time off. Checked October 2026. |
| GOV.UK | Holiday entitlement: booking time off · Notice to refuse holiday. Checked October 2026. |
| GOV.UK | Holiday entitlement · 5.6 weeks' statutory holiday. 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.