Back to work - after a whole 24 hours away

The annual Christmas break is something the vast majority of workers look forward to enormously - finishing for at least a week on Mad Friday and not returning until the new year.

- Kate Wobschall

But time off over the festive season isn't something everyone can enjoy-as emergency workers will tell you.

And of course there's the fourth emergency service - people who work in retail. Many can expect at least a month of madness in the run-up to the big day with the seasonal goodwill rarely extending to those poor souls refilling the shelves and manning the tills.

This year, colleagues at M&S were unimpressed to learn all staff must work at least one of December 26, 27 and 28 as well as being available to work all three days in the run-up to Christmas Day.