How long to hear back?

Due to a couple of things (mainly the reference) I only got the email from UCAS allowing me to track my application today (19th Dec), so it's presumably only recently been sent. At this stage I've accepted that I probably won't know until after Christmas, but does anyone know what the time window might be like?

I'd just look at when the unis start back up again, but I don't know if that applies to the application office and with two of them I'm having trouble using the sites (plus I don't know if the unis are properly shut down or if the non-students are working like normal and not going in bank holidays). And that still doesn't tell me when I might hear back, only when they reopen.

I've applied to Essex, Lincoln, Suffolk, Northampton and Leicester if it makes a difference, and all English based courses, which is why I put it in this forum.