Festive fever is kicking in: Venice's famous Rialto Bridge gets the Christmas treatment and Santa takes a dip in an aquarium to see if the fish have been naughty or good.
The weather shows signs we could be in for a White Christmas, albeit a windy one; snow and gale force winds cause havoc in parts of the UK, with Scottish police forces advising members of the public not to travel. Despite dangers, Walker the polar bear is loving the recent flurries, as he rolls in the snow in Kingussie, Scotland.
On the other side of the world, China dealt with dense fog, causing major traffic jams and delayed flights, but producing atmospheric photography in Beijing. Other stunning images have come from France, with a huge horse projected onto buildings as part of the 152-year-old 'Festival of Lights' and artistic graffiti in Greece expresses the effects of austerity measures plaguing communities.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, gets help from Mr Wolf when trading for the ICAP Charity Day in London and Australian surfers know how to enjoy the run up to Christmas at the Billabong Pipe Masters - all in the pictures of the week below: