Ministers agree UK-wide plan allowing up to four households to mix over Christmas.
Leaders of all four home nations agree that same rules will apply in every part of the country between December 24 and 28.
Families will be able to enjoy Christmas together across the whole of the UK after ministers agreed a plan that will allow up to four households to mix for five days.
The leaders of all four home nations agreed that the same rules will apply in every part of the country between Christmas Eve and December 28.
No final decision has been made on how many households will be able to get together, but sources have indicated that it will be either three or four, meaning families will be able to have both sets of grandparents to stay. Other restrictions, including pub closures, are also expected to be relaxed over the five-day holiday.
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said the leaders of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had "endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days".