Not the first time there has been a run of 'optional' drivers (WHQL test passed but not Cert.).
As for the 24.12.1 date, that was probably the in house ready date waiting on WHQL for release.
My PC- Ryzen 5 5600x, B550 aorus pro ac, Hyper 212 black, 2 x 16gb F4-3600c16dgtzn kit, NM790 2TB, Nitro+RX6900XT, RM850, Win.10 Pro., LC27G55T.