In COVID-hit Europe even St Nicholas told to keep distance at Christmas

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past Christmas trees on Oxford Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, November 21, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - With restrictions on family gatherings, instructions not to hug and a polite request to St Nicholas to "keep your distance", Europe is preparing for its first COVID-19 Christmas.

Governments across the continent, which accounts for a quarter of reported global infections and deaths, are trying to fine-tune restrictions on public life to allow families to celebrate Christmas without super-spreading the virus.