Christmas Eve is right around the corner, and celebrations will definitely look a lot different this year. If you're confused about which days are bank holidays, scroll down to find out everything you need to know about the upcoming festive period.
We could all do with a bit of a break over Christmas but is Christmas Eve a bank holiday and will we get an extra day off?
Christmas Eve is an important time for many families, as it marks the start of the seasonal celebrations. After a stressful and strange year, with England currently in a second lockdown and the rest of the UK subject to a range of rules and restrictions because of the pandemic, people are more ready than ever to feel festive and enjoy some Christmas celebrations.
Whether its watching Christmas movies, stocking up on Christmas food or buying Christmas toys as gifts for the kids. There is definitely a festive feeling in the air.
If you're planning on taking time off over the Christmas period, make sure you know exactly when the bank holidays are this festive season so you can make the most of the time off.
Is Christmas Eve a bank holiday?
No, Christmas Eve is not classed as a bank holiday. Christmas Eve 2020 falls on Thursday 24th December which is treated as a regular working day. Each year, the UK typically gets eight permanent bank holidays which are as follows:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- May Day
- Spring Bank Holiday
- Late Summer
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
Although Christmas Eve is not a bank holiday, many people take it off as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day, with many companies giving employees the day off to celebrate with family. Opening times in shops may vary during Christmas Eve too, so it's always best to check to avoid missing out on essentials.
Many families have their own Christmas Eve traditions, which typically take place the night before Christmas when everyone's excited about the following day. Popular traditions include giving Christmas Eve boxes, or leaving out treats for Santa and Rudolph.
Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day are all bank holidays, so these three days are often where people celebrate most over the festive period. Because Boxing Day 2020 falls on Saturday 26th December, we will be given the following Monday 28th December as a bank holiday instead. This is because according to the government legislation on bank holidays: ‘if a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday’.
