Would you answer your boss on Christmas Day if they genuinely needed you?

I think the answer depends on two things: what your job is and why your boss is calling. I once worked as a consultant anesthetist in the NHS. We had an on-call rota, so if you were scheduled to work Christmas Day, you worked. That was simply part of the job. But there were also times when something completely unexpected happened. On one occasion, the consultant who was on call became overwhelmed with work and needed another doctor to help. I happened to be the first person they reached. I wasn't on call, but I went in. Another time, the doctor who was on call suddenly became unwell. A resident doctor called me, and I went in and took over. Neither situation bothered me. These were genuine emergencies. Patients needed care, the team needed help, and I was qualified and able to step in. That's very different from getting a call on Christmas Day because someone wants a spreadsheet finished before Monday. I think this distinction applies far beyond healthcare. There are jobs where being available during holidays is part of the role. There are also situations where something genuinely serious happens and someone has to step up. But that shouldn't turn into an expectation that every employee must be available every holiday just because their boss can reach them. If the building is on fire, a critical system has gone down, a patient needs care, or something genuinely urgent has happened, that's one conversation. If someone simply forgot to finish a routine task on Friday and now wants it done on Christmas morning, that's another. Being a good employee sometimes means going above and beyond. But having boundaries doesn't make someone a bad employee. For me, the real question isn't, "Would you answer your boss on Christmas?" It's: "What are they calling you about?" Would you make an exception and help if it were a genuine emergency, even if you weren't scheduled to work?