Holiday question

I had a quick question I was hoping someone would be kind enough to answer for me. I always imagined that Christmas time in Ireland would be a big affair with lots of time off for spending with family and friends. I was told recently, however, that it is surprisingly short...that most people only get Christmas eve and Christmas day from work before returning. In America, unless you work in retail or the service industry, this is absolutely not the case. Just wondering if and why Ireland would be so different. Any info much appreciated!