NOW Christmas is over, many of us are dreading January's credit card bill after hitting the plastic hard.

The average person spends £920 on Christmas, according to The British Retail Consortium's Christmas 2005 survey..

Experts say shops did well in December despite shopping visits on high streets being down nine per cent on last year.

Market analyst TNS Worldpanel said UK consumers spent a record £3.8bn last week and the average household spent £153 on Christmas preparations.

And according to forecasts from IMRG, a group representing online stores, a record breaking £7bn was spent on internet purchases this Christmas.

Simon Yates, managing director of QS Fashion, which has opened in Blackburn's Peel Centre, reported 25,000 customers for its first month.

TV money saving expert Martin Lewis said: "There should be a government wealth warning that Christmas is due. Even though Christmas is on December 25 every year, many people act as if it snuck up on them and yelled Boo!', leaving them using costly borrowing to pay for it and starting the year with a financial hangover to rival alcohol's mists."

He added: "The perfect time to start is January, when as well as buying cheaply at sales for the following year, you can start putting cash aside each month and earning interest.

"Come December, you can have Christmas without the worry of debts."

There are plenty of ways to save ready for next Christmas. Buy cards and decorations in December and prices are sky high. Come January, prices plummet and you can pick up massive reductions on festive treats. For example this week it was possible to pick up a £55 selection of cards, decorations, mini-tree, crackers and Christmas pud (with a use-buy date in 2008) for £17.

And for anybody who runs up too much debt, there is advice available, for instance from local solicitors and Citizens Advice Bureaus.

Mark Skinner, solicitor in East Lancashire law firm Farley's personal insolvency department said the first few months after Christmas can be a difficult time for anyone who has overspent, but there are ways to cope.

He said: "The first thing is, don't ignore it. A lot of people just stick their head in the sand. The second is, there are options available if people have quite a lot of unsecured debt. They need to speak to a debt adviser.

"You can go to a Citizens Advice Bureau, or a firm like us which provides free debt advice and discuss options, such as an Individual Voluntary Arrangement between the debtor and creditor.

"They can also see a financial adviser about consolidating debts through a secured loan or a remortgage. If it's a low level debt they could look to debt management companies.

"Bankruptcy is also an option for people but they need careful advice."

For more information visit www.moneysavingexpert.com