The festive season is upon us and even those organised souls who spend the rest of their year happily juggling the demands of work, friends and family can often come a cropper.

"It's all over in 24 hours, yet we seem to start planning next Christmas from the moment that last piece of wilting mistletoe goes in the bin," says Annie Ashworth, co-author of Trade Secrets: Christmas.

"With busy lives, and the commercial pressures that seem to dictate that crackers appear on the shelves in August, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressures that Christmastime brings."

The stress of planning means most people put it off until the last minute, with more than 40 per cent only starting to plan for Christmas a month before, according to research by the Post Office.

But a bit of organisation now can reduce the inevitable festive pressures.

FESTIVE BUDGETING

It seems many people splash out all their funds for December 25 and spend the rest of the year paying the price. Four million Britons don't plan for Christmas spending at all and a third go over budget, the Post Office found.

"For some reason people tend to look at Christmas as a shock emergency expenditure. It isn't, it arrives on the same day every year," warns Martin Lewis, author of The Money Diet.

"The average expenditure for Christmas is about £600 - that's a fortune if paid purely from December's pay packet. Ideally you need to allocate it over the year and budget £50 a month.

"Don't get caught in the Christmas debt trap - the way to do this is save, not borrow. Only spend what you can afford, it's not worth getting in debt for Christmas."

SCROOGE'S GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS

Lewis has these insider tips for festive budgeting.

  • Work out how much you need to spend over the Christmas period. Spread your money over October to January. January's an added bonus because if you buy on credit cards during December - and pay them off in full in January - you can spread interest-free repayments.
  • Manipulate supermarket saving schemes. Lots of supermarkets say 'save with us all year and we'll give you a bonus for Christmas', something like five per cent. The loophole is usually they don't award the bonus until a set day, often in November. Move your money into the saving scheme the day before they add the bonus and use the extra cash for festive purchases.
  • A Royal Bank of Scotland credit card is very handy for Christmas shopping. Pay £1 for a three-month trial of their price promise scheme, which allows you to effectively buy Christmas presents at January sale prices. If you find the same goods in another shop within 60 days at a reduced price, they will refund the difference. Set it up in November or December for £1 and cancel it after three months - the service normally costs £20 for a year.
  • If you really have to borrow money, get a Halifax or Sainsbury's credit card, with zero per cent interest for a year (or 10 months for Sainsbury's). Ensure the cards are paid off before that zero per cent ends.
  • Shop around on the internet to source presents. There is more perfume and aftershave sold on Christmas Eve than the entire month of August, for example. Look out for online retailers like fragrancedirect.com that sell perfumes at half the price. For other presents, use price comparison websites like pricerunner.co.uk or kelkoo.co.uk to find the best deals.

STRESS-FREE SHOPPING

Most people love nothing more than indulging in the odd spending spree, but the thought of Christmas shopping, queues, crowds and that lengthy list of presents for long-lost relatives can leave people trembling in their winter boots.

Ashworth has this advice for making shopping a stress-free experience.

  • Make a list and stick to it.
  • When you are shopping, focus on one 'group' at a time. Get into children/man/auntie mode so that you're in the right frame of mind.
  • Save up a day's holiday at work or book a morning off in advance, and get your shopping done on a quiet Monday morning when the shops are less busy.
  • Try booking a free personal shopper. They'll know what's in store and give you some handy advice.
  • If you are ordering presents by mail order, make certain the goods will arrive by Christmas - 28 days is the longest you will usually be expected to wait.
  • Mail order can spread the cost, but beware! Although you don't have to pay interest, prices are often higher than the high street, and don't forget postage and packaging on top.
  • Avoid the crowds and shop over the phone. Many companies will deliver by post to the recipient.
  • Keep all your Christmas receipts in an envelope, so that you can find them easily.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If you've been allocated the role of head chef on December 25, there are plenty of short cuts to minimise the last-minute madness.

"Lists, lists, lists," are the key to a successful Christmas dinner, according to Mary Cadogan, editor of the Good Food Countdown To Christmas.

She also advises: "Delegate as much as possible. It is so nice if people are coming to Christmas dinner for them to bring something, even a plate of chopped Brussels sprouts. People like to be asked."

Cadogan has this festive food countdown to avoid your head boiling along with the potatoes.

12 WEEKS TO GO - Make Christmas cake.

11 WEEKS - Make Christmas pudding.

8 WEEKS - Go through your cupboards and freezer and make way for the Christmas food. Make a shopping list of all the things you need to buy.

7 WEEKS - Make a list of all the drinks you will need. Order the turkey.

6 WEEKS - Make your chutney. Make first part of freeze-ahead dinner party.

5 WEEKS - Buy Christmas crackers.

4 WEEKS - Shop for wines, spirits and mixers - arrange delivery if necessary.

3 WEEKS - Update shopping lists. Plan food needed for everyday cooking, entertaining and Christmas food.

2 WEEKS - Decorate the Christmas cake.

1 WEEK - Defrost your mince pies ready for any visitors.

THE TRIMMINGS

So the food and presents are under your belt, but no Christmas is complete without the trimmings. And it's often those extras that are left until the last minute.

  • Don't bring your tree into the house too soon - no more than two weeks prior to Christmas. Keep it outside in water until you're ready to decorate it.
  • Pick holly in mid to late November or early December, while the berries are still ripe. Put the stems into a bucket of damp sand and cover the top of the holly with a cloth - this keeps it fresh and prevents it from frost damage.
  • Plant up forced hyacinths that will bloom around Christmas. Tie a matching ribbon around the pot.
  • Before you buy new decorations, check what you want to re-use from last year and ensure Christmas lights are still working.
  • If you lack the time to buy new decorations, liven up old baubles with a can of metallic spray paint.
  • Crackers can often be over-priced. Improve cheap crackers by popping in a personal present for each guest, but open them up with care.