Send one plain-English Christmas email in the first week of October. Say which days you're open and your hours, whether you're closing and which days come out of annual leave, what everyone gets for St Stephen's Day (it's a Saturday this year), the deadline for leave requests (we use the end of October), how you'll decide if too many people want the same day, when payday is and who to ring if something breaks. That's it. We've written them all out below.
We'll be honest, we never had a Christmas policy. What we had was a lot of people asking us the same five questions every December. The fix wasn't a document in a handbook nobody reads, it was one decent email at the right time - and then a couple of short follow-ups.
So here's every Christmas email we send, in the order we send them, written for Irish rules. Copy the lot or grab the Word version with all six in.
The Christmas email to staff (copy and paste)
This is the big one. We send it in the first week of October and it does most of the work for the whole of December. It's written for a business that closes between Christmas and New Year - if you're staying open, use the opening hours version below instead.
Hi all,
Here's the plan for Christmas so nobody's guessing.
We're open as normal up to [Wednesday 23 December] and we'll close at [1pm] on Christmas Eve. We're then shut until [Monday 4 January], when we're back as normal.
St Stephen's Day falls on a Saturday this year, so instead you'll get [Monday 28 December off, paid]. Christmas Day and New Year's Day are public holidays as normal and don't come out of your annual leave.
The other days we're closed ([29, 30 and 31 December]) will come out of your annual leave, so please keep [3] days back for them. If that's a problem for you, come and have a chat with me before [30 October].
If you want any other time off in December, please get it booked by [31 October]. We can have [2] people off from each team on any one day and it's first come, first served. If it's a tie, whoever worked last Christmas gets first dibs.
December payday is [Friday 18 December]. That makes it a long wait until January's payday on [Friday 29 January], so just bear that in mind.
If anything urgent comes up while we're closed, ring [name] on [number].
Any questions, just give me a shout.
[Your name]
Swap the bits in blue for your own and you're done. If you're not sure of a date, or what you owe staff for St Stephen's Day on a Saturday, it's all in Christmas bank holidays Ireland 2026.
We used to just tell people about Christmas as it came up - in passing, in the kitchen, the odd email. Which meant three different people heard three slightly different versions. Now it's one email in October and if anyone asks, we point them at it. It's saved us a lot of "oh, I thought you said..." conversations.
Christmas closure email to staff
This one's for when you're closing and asking people to use annual leave for it. The law says you have to consult people at least a month before the leave starts, and take their family responsibilities into account - so send it in October and genuinely invite anyone with a problem to come and talk to you. If you've already sent the main email above, you don't need this as well.
Hi all,
Just confirming that we'll be closed for Christmas from [12pm on Thursday 24 December] until [Sunday 3 January]. We're back open on [Monday 4 January].
Christmas Day and New Year's Day are public holidays and don't come out of your annual leave. St Stephen's Day is on a Saturday this year, so you'll get [Monday 28 December off, paid] for it instead.
The other working days we're closed ([Christmas Eve afternoon, 29, 30 and 31 December]) will come out of your annual leave - that's [3.5] days for a full-timer, less if you're part-time.
If this causes you a problem - family plans, or you won't have enough leave left - please come and have a chat with me before [30 October] and we'll sort something out.
Thanks, and I hope you all have a proper break.
[Your name]
Christmas opening hours email to staff
For when you're staying open, or running a skeleton crew. The thing people want to know most is "am I working on the 29th?", so we answer that as near the top as we can - along with what they get if they work a public holiday, which in Ireland isn't optional.
Hi all,
Here's how Christmas will work this year.
We're staying open apart from the public holidays. Our hours will be:
- [Thursday 24 December]: [9am to 1pm]
- [Friday 25 December]: closed (Christmas Day)
- [Saturday 26 December]: closed (St Stephen's Day)
- [28, 29 and 30 December]: [10am to 4pm]
- [Thursday 31 December]: [10am to 2pm]
- [Friday 1 January]: closed (New Year's Day)
- From [Monday 4 January]: back to normal hours
For St Stephen's Day, as it's on a Saturday, everyone will get [an extra day of annual leave / an extra day's pay / a paid day off within a month].
We need [2] people in each day between Christmas and New Year. Leave for those days is first come, first served until we hit that number, so if you want time off, book it by [31 October].
Any questions, just ask.
[Your name]
If you're running a skeleton crew, the question you'll get most is "who's in on the 30th?". In Book Time Off the whole team's on one wallchart, and you can have a daily who's-off message go into Microsoft Teams, Slack or Google Chat (or a team digest by email). It won't plan your shifts - it's a holiday system, not a rota - but nobody has to ask you who's around.
→ Start free trialChristmas annual leave deadline email
A short nudge about a week before your deadline. It's amazing how many people read the first email, mean to book and then forget. Us included.
Hi all,
Quick reminder that Christmas annual leave requests need to be in by [Friday 30 October].
[29 and 30 December] are already filling up in [team], so if you want them, don't hang about.
After the deadline it's still first come, first served, but we'll only say yes if we've still got the cover.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Honestly, since we've been using Book Time Off this reminder matters a lot less. People book from their phone, the approver gets an email and says yes or no in one click, and once a team's hit its limit for a day nobody else can book it. So the first come, first served bit sort of runs itself. You'll still want to send the reminder - software can't make people remember - but there's no spreadsheet to update afterwards.
→ Start free trialChristmas payday email to staff
If you pay early in December, tell people - and tell them how long January's going to feel. Most of the January payday grumbling we've heard is really "I didn't realise".
Hi all,
Just a heads up that December's pay will go in on [Friday 18 December] instead of the usual [last working day of the month], so you've got it before Christmas.
That does mean it's [six] weeks until January's payday on [Friday 29 January], so it's worth planning for that now.
[Your name]
There's more on paying early and what Revenue needs from you in Christmas payday in Ireland.
Back to work in January email
Sent on the last working day before you close, or the first day back. Short, and a nice way to restart the year.
Hi all,
Thanks for everything this year - it's been a busy one.
Just a reminder that we're back on [Monday 4 January] at the usual time. If you're sick or something's come up, let [name] know before [9am] that morning.
St Brigid's Day is the next public holiday, on [Monday 1 February]. If you've got plans for the year, get your annual leave booked early.
Have a brilliant Christmas.
[Your name]
Do you need a Christmas working policy?
For most small teams, no. If you're under 50 people, the email does the job and it's far more likely to actually be read. Where a short written version does help is in your handbook or contracts - mainly so that "keep some annual leave back for Christmas" is something people know from the day they start, not something they find out in October.
If you want one, this is about as long as it needs to be:
Christmas and New Year
Each year we'll tell you [by the start of October] whether we're closing over Christmas and New Year. If we close, any normal working days we're closed will come out of your annual leave and we'll tell you how many days to keep back. Public holidays never come out of your annual leave.
When a Christmas public holiday falls on a day we're not open, such as a Saturday, we'll tell you in advance which benefit you'll get for it: [a paid day off within a month / an extra day of annual leave / an extra day's pay].
If we stay open, annual leave between [21 December] and [4 January] is first come, first served up to [the number of people each team can have off]. Requests for this period need to be in by [31 October].
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are normal working days unless we tell you otherwise.
We've also got a free annual leave request form for Ireland if you want requests coming in the same way every time.
Christmas emails to staff (Word template, Ireland)
All six emails in one editable Word document, written for Irish rules. Swap the blue bits for your own dates and details, have a quick read of the notes and send.
- The main Christmas plan email
- Closure email, written around the one-month rule
- Opening hours version, with the public holiday benefit
- Deadline reminder, payday and back-to-work emails
- A short Christmas paragraph for your handbook
The legal bit, if you need it
An email isn't a legal document, but a few things are worth getting right in it.
- The employer decides when annual leave is taken, but must take family responsibilities and rest into account and consult the employee at least one month before (Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, s.20).
- For a public holiday on a Saturday, staff get a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay - you choose, and they can ask you which at least 21 days before (Citizens Information).
- Anyone who works a public holiday gets a public holiday benefit on top of their normal pay for the day (WRC).
- Public holidays are separate from annual leave and never come out of it (Citizens Information).
- Paying early in December? Payroll must be reported to Revenue on or before the date you pay, using the date staff are actually paid (Revenue).
Sources
| Irish Statute Book | Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, section 20 · When annual leave is taken. Checked October 2026. |
| Citizens Information | Public holidays · Benefits and the 21-day rule. Checked October 2026. |
| WRC | Public holidays · Working a public holiday. Checked October 2026. |
| Citizens Information | Annual leave · Checked October 2026. |
| Revenue | Guidance for employers on aligning pay dates and end of year issues · Pay dates and paying in advance at Christmas. Checked October 2026. |
FAQs
This is practical, general information for employers in Ireland. If you've got a dispute brewing or something unusual in a contract, check with the Workplace Relations Commission (its information service is free) or an employment solicitor.