In some respects, Christmas could be compared to Marmite: people either love it or they hate it. But whichever camp they are in, there is no escaping it, and for many people Christmas can be a very stressful time of year with the expense and pressure of deciding what presents to buy, combined with the task of cooking Christmas dinner for an extended family that may not even get along. This may paint a gloomy or overly-pessimistic picture of what is supposed to be a happy time of year, but it is a reality for countless families.

However, much of the burden of Christmas could be alleviated with simple planning throughout the year. Rather than cramming everything in to the last fortnight of December, some people begin their Christmas shopping in the Boxing Day sales for the following year. This may seem a little premature, but the principle and thinking behind it is sound. By spreading the expense throughout the year, it is less likely that credit cards will be maxed-out through over-zealous last-minute shopping.

Christmas-clubs, too, were once a popular means of saving throughout the year to ensure the whole family enjoyed a happy and prosperous festive period. But the demise of Farepak in late 2006, which led to tens of thousands of people losing out on an average of £400 of Christmas savings, has generated a general lack of trust in these schemes and many people are now looking at other ways to save for Christmas.

For some, opening an online saving account with their high street bank is as good a way as any to save throughout the year for the festive period. They are easy to open, simple to manage and can be accessed 24-hours a day from any internet-enabled computer. The great thing about having an online saving account is that they can generally be opened with as little as £1 and they offer security.

Furthermore, standing orders can even be set-up so that money is automatically transferred from the current account to the online saving account on payday, meaning the customer doesn't really feel like they are putting money away. And when Christmas comes, there will then be a tidy little sum waiting to be spent on Christmas goodies, meaning all the other usual Christmas hassles are no more than formalities.

Christmas is a stressful time for many families, without the added burden of debt added into the equation. Sensible planning and saving throughout the year can mean Christmas can once again be the enjoyable, festive fun it's supposed to be.

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