Major UK pub chain offering people who are working Christmas Day free meals

They'll be given a complimentary dinner, with an estimated 30,000 meals expected to be served as part of the occasion

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “We see first-hand the hard work that goes into making Christmas happen.

“While most of us are sitting down for Christmas lunch, millions of people are working hard to keep things running.

“The Big Christmas Shift is our way of saying thank you, giving thousands of those working on December 25th their own chance to celebrate, relax and enjoy a proper roast before the festive rush kicks in.”

The offering follows research of 1,000 adults who’ve previously worked on Christmas Day which revealed what they missed most when doing so.

Top of the list was not being with family, but other notable moments include boardgame arguments, relatives falling asleep post-meal, and corny cracker jokes.

Those polled also missed the smell of the festive dinner wafting through the house, wearing matching pyjamas, and the kids waking up much too early.

Other longed for things include watching Christmas movies on the day itself, carving the turkey, and the annual family photo, with singing carols badly but enthusiastically, wearing paper crowns all day, and popping down the local for a festive drink with loved ones are also in the top 30.

But despite missing so much about the big day, the number one emotion about working on Christmas Day is ‘happy’ (19.8 per cent) – although ‘tired’ (19.7 per cent) was close behind in second spot.

Some (24 per cent) have even been brought to tears – although 54 per cent who’ve done this have cried tears of happiness.

And to avoid missing out entirely, 40 per cent have had video calls with their family while at work so they can experience some of the festivities, even if from afar.

While one in 10 (10 per cent) will celebrate Christmas on another day entirely – with Boxing Day the most popular alternative date

Others (90 per cent) try and make their day at work as Christmassy as possible – by playing festive songs (46 per cent), indulging in mince pies and chocolate (41 per cent), and putting up decorations (40 per cent).

Carried out through OnePoll, the study found 47 per cent think the public appreciates those who work on the 25th.