The snow maps being shown by TV stations  show that the first flurries will arrive just as Santa Claus brushes down Rudolph and his reindeer for the big journay on Christma Eve.

The heaviest snow fall is in Scotland this year on Christmas, with some higher regions forecast potentially more than a foot of snow.

Freezing fog will continue for a few more days though and the Met Office ’s forecast says it will stay windy and wet in most pl;aces.

However, get the sledge out of the garden shed. The steep slopes of Balloch Country Park awaits you.

One forecaster said: “Around the middle of next week, low pressure may dominate, with a spell of mild, wet and windy weather for most places.

“Thereafter, while high pressure may try and build at times, especially in the south late in the period, the more likely scenario is for an unsettled regime to dominate.

“Spells of wind and rain, perhaps with some hill snow in the north, are likely, followed by blustery showers, these most frequent and perhaps wintry at times in the northwest.

Some sleet and snow is also likely, especially on high ground in the north.

For today, it is forecast to be a chilly start, with patchy frost and fog forming beneath clear skies where temperatures will struggle to get above -2.

The Borders will be the warmest part of the country with the mercury dropping rapidly towards freezing.