Christmas celebrations across the world - in pictures
A scuba-driving 'Santa Claus' clutches a Christmas cake at an aquarium in Tokyo. EPA
Pope Francis waves to the gathered faithful following his Christmas blessing in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. AFP
Britain's Queen Elizabeth records her annual Christmas broadcast in Windsor Castle, next to a photograph of her with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Reuters
An emergency room nurse takes a break while working on Christmas day at a hospital in Marseille, southern France, amid a surge in Omicron cases. AP Photo
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hold a virtual Christmas meeting with servicemen and women around the world, at the White House. AP Photo
Choristers from Truro Cathedral Choir in England light candles after performing during the Christmas Day morning service. Getty Images
A couple pose for a photo in front of a giant Christmas tree at the West Kowloon cultural district in Hong Kong. AFP
Worshippers pray at Sacred Heart Shrine Church to celebrate Christmas in Chennai, India. AFP
People attend a Christmas service at Saint Andrew's Church in Karachi. AFP
A Christmas service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. Getty Images
A woman holds her child as she lights a candle during a Christmas Eve service at Dawson Springs First Baptist church in, Kentucky, US. Getty
Members of Mayfield First Presbyterian Church and Mayfield First Christian Church gather in an empty lot between their destroyed churches for a joint Christmas Eve service in Mayfield, Kentucky. A tornado devastated the community about two weeks ago. AP
Santa Claus and Mrs Claus hand out gifts at a Christmas lunch in Sydney, Australia. EPA
People eat a Christmas dinner of donated food at a shelter in Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters
A Christmas Mass is held in a destroyed church in Alegria, in the Philippines, more than a week after Super Typhoon Rai devastated the area. AFP
Christians attend the Christmas Eve vigil Mass at the Legio Maria African Mission in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters
Most Rev Samuel J Aquila, archbishop of the archdiocese of Denver, heads down the aisle to say Christmas Eve Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver, Colorado. AP
Christians during the pastoral Mass celebrated by Archbishop Wojciech Polak, in Gniezno, Poland. EPA
The Christmas tree at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh is illuminated at dawn on Christmas Eve. AP
Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, and Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, pass by a destroyed home in Dawson Srpings, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve after tornadoes ripped through several US states. Reuters
Children perform at the Mother Teresa Cathedral during the midnight Mass in Pristina, Kosovo. AFP
Bell ringers inside the bell tower of St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle during midnight Mass. EPA
People walk through an illuminated street in Tokyo on Christmas Eve. AP
Nursing home residents and staff members dance together during the residents' Christmas party at Crown Heights Centre for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn, New York. AFP
A Christmas dinner of donated food is prepared for migrants at a shelter in Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters
Worshipers attend the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at The Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka in Ragama suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA