“It’s going to be strange as in Holland you get two and a half weeks off. It’s new for me but I think it adds something to play on Boxing Day,” he revealed.

“I know it’s a tradition over here so I’m looking forward to it. My wife will be spending Christmas Day with her family, but I will be at work.”

Van Persie will probably be on the substitutes’ bench against Fulham on Boxing Day, with Dennis Bergkamp poised for a recall in attack, but manager Arsene Wenger will no doubt rotate his squad over the festive period.

Indeed, the Arsenal boss remains confident his team can keep up the pressure on leaders Chelsea over the next fortnight after their win at Southampton last Sunday.

“The Christmas games are always important and I feel that Christmas started on Sunday. Now we play on the 26th, the 29th, the first and the fourth, so we have a lot of games in a short time,” Wenger told the club’s website, www.arsenal.com.

“It is very important to capitalise on that because over Christmas things can change quickly. But we have the hunger, talent and experience – and they’re good ingredients to make it interesting.

“We also have the belief and we can come back. You have seen that anything can happen and it’s down to us.”

Wenger is set to welcome back midfielder Freddie Ljungberg for the match against Fulham.

The Sweden international has missed the past three matches after suffering two acute migraines, prompting the club to send him for scans with a neurologist.

Those tests gave him the all-clear to resume full training this week and a swift return would certainly be a relief for Wenger, who revealed his confidence last week that Ljungberg “should be fit for the Christmas period”.

Jose Antonio Reyes (knee) has now been ruled out of contention for the Cottagers’ clash, although he may recover in time to face Newcastle three days later.

Gilberto (back) is still a long-term absentee, while Edu is now back in training after a broken toe.