With Halloween and Bonfire Night behind us, attention is turning to the festive season, and planning annual leave early is one task not to delay. For those on a standard Monday-to-Friday schedule with bank holidays off, the 2026 calendar offers a generous opportunity to extend the Christmas break.
How to Get 11 Days Off with Just 4 Days of Leave
Because Christmas Day falls on a Friday, the Boxing Day bank holiday rolls over to Monday, December 28, and New Year's Day also lands on a Friday, giving a full weekend to recover. By booking Christmas Eve (Thursday, December 24) and Tuesday, December 29, Wednesday 30, and Thursday, December 31, workers can stop on Wednesday, December 23 and enjoy an 11-day stretch off, returning on January 4.
Stretching It to 16 Days with 7 Days of Leave
For those willing to use more allowance, adding Monday, December 21 to Wednesday, December 23 extends the break to 16 days off for seven days of annual leave. That means clocking off Friday, December 18 and not returning until Monday, January 4.
These dates apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland gets an extra bank holiday on Monday, January 4, making the deal even better.
