Nicola Sturgeon has said she is "so sorry" that Omicron has meant Scots will not be able to enjoy a "fairly normal Christmas".
In her annual festive message to the nation, the First Minister paid tribute to NHS and care home staff who would be working throughout the holiday season.
The SNP leader also said it was thanks to the success of the on-going vaccination programme that Scots could look forward to a December 25 that would "much more normal than last year".
The public is free to meet up indoors to socialise throughout the festive season - but it comes at a time of increased anxiety over the Omicron variant of coronavirus, which was only discovered last month.
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