Is today a bank holiday in the UK?

Many workers will benefit from four consecutive days off due to complexities of festive schedule

Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, somewhat complicating the festive schedule.

To ensure that working people do not lose a day off by virtue of the big day occurring at a weekend, the usual bank holiday has been moved to a weekday instead.

However, as Boxing Day follows on Monday – and is already a bank holiday – the Christmas rest day will be held on Tuesday 27 December.

The upside of this convoluted arrangement is that many people will get the benefit of at least four consecutive days off work – even without booking holiday – lasting from Christmas Eve on Saturday until the weary Wednesday trudge back to the coalface.

Where this does create complications is for people in receipt of state pensions or benefits but, in most instances, you should receive your money earlier rather than later.

You can find a full overview of the Department for Work and Pensions’ adjusted payment schedule for December here.

It’s worth remembering too that major rail strikes involving the RMT union members and Eurostar staff declared over the Christmas period are scheduled to end at 6am on Tuesday, as are Border Force walkouts at several major airports, meaning it may be possible to escape those relatives you have slowly but surely come to loathe after all.

However, be warned, many others are likely to have the same idea and Britain’s roads, railways and high streets could quickly become busy as cabin fever sets in and thousands, frenzied by days of excessive Quality Street consumption, hit the shops in droves.

The weather, however, looks mercifully mild and drizzle-free, judging by the current Met Office forecast.