The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed to reduce the five-day Christmas bubbling arrangements in the region to one day, according to Stormont sources.
US President-elect Joe Biden will be vaccinated against COVID-19 this week, as the country's second approved jab is moved from warehouses to healthcare facilities.
With the festive plans of so many Britons ruined by a new coronavirus strain, can we at least hope for a Christmas Day with a picturesque covering of snow?