What shops are actually open on Christmas Day as people advised to stock up today

If you've left it up until the very last minute to get your Christmas shopping in - and by that, I mean, you might need to nip out when the big day rolls around tomorrow - you'll only have a handful of stores at your disposal.

Like every year for, quite literally, decades, all of the main, high-street shops and supermarkets will remain closed from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day, meaning if you were hoping to get some hefty presents on the 25th, then you'll be out of luck.

If you only need a handful of light bites, small stocking fillers, or extra gravy, however, there might be a small handful of options left open for you.

That said, however, their opening hours will likely be colossally reduced, so you'll only have a short window to get your goods.

Only a handful of shops will open on the big day (Karl Hendon/Getty)

So, which shops actually will be open on Christmas Day?

As we say, for as long as many of us can remember, core shops have remained closed for Christmas.

This is all because of the Christmas Day Trading Act, which was introduced in 2004 across several different sectors as a means of allowing their employees time off to enjoy the special day with their families, Metro reports.

This extends across larger supermarkets, like Tesco, ASDA, and Sainsbury's.

These 'big shops' unusually reopen on Boxing Day, whilst 'smaller stores', like Iceland and Farmfoods, will remain closed until the 27th.

That said, however, local stores or corner shops will be discretionary, meaning bosses in charge can decide if they do want to open on Christmas Day, and the hours they'll do so.

The same also applies to petrol station shops, being that the pumps themselves are unable to close on Christmas, as people will still need to access a means of driving.

Motorway petrol stations and their shops will remain open (John Keeble/Getty Images)

Petrol stations attached to motorway services in particular must remain open 365 days a year for parking, fuel and toilets.

This applies 24 hours a day.

This also means that the supermarkets or eateries inside of the stations will likely stay open.

Any petrol station supermarkets attached to A-roads will likely remain closed on the 25th, however, which is why staff often encourage customers to fill up their tanks and stock up on food ahead of the big day.

What about post offices?

If you've forgotten to send a particular parcel, or your in need of some last minute stamps, you won't be able to do either at your local post office until Friday 27th - and even then, there won't be any collections or deliveries.

That's right, all post offices across the UK remain closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

How about banks?

Sorry, another no-go.

Banks will also remain closed until the 27th (ilbusca/Getty)

If you need to withdraw cash on Christmas Day, however, then you will be able to seek out an ATM/cash machine.

Similarly, online banking is still available.

But if you're using your banking app to deposit a cheque or make a payment, then you might be waiting a while.

Physical banks will remain closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but will open on Friday 27th, likely with reduced hours.