Christmas and how to survive it

Elaine Nelson, manager of Debenhams in Coney Street, said staff at her store had been "run ragged" by shoppers. "They do not know where all the people came from. It was an exceptional weekend," she said.

Coppergate centre manager Diana Golding said the Christmas trade had exploded after a slow start to the season. "People are making up for lost time," she said.

The good news for the Christmas shopper, however, is that this year there are really good Christmas bargains to be had. Three-for-two and half price offers abound wherever you look.

"Everybody is looking for bargains now," says Norma Middlemiss, manager of the York Designer Outlet, which has also been hugely busy.

Bargains or not, Christmas remains a stressful time. All the presents to buy and the Christmas dinner to worry about - not to mention the cost.

Here is our own Christmas Survival Guide. We've shopped around for great Christmas present ideas; York chef Michael Hjort suggests an easy alternative to the traditional turkey for Christmas dinner. And the Citizens' Advice Bureau in York has come up with some tips about how you can have a great Christmas without getting into debt..

An alternative to the Christmas Turkey

YORK restaurateur Michael Hjort has always found it a bit of a mystery why so many people insist on turkey with all the trimmings for their traditional Christmas dinner.

It's not even a real' tradition, points out Michael, who runs York restaurants Meltons and Meltons Too. That was always goose, until it got too expensive. Mass produced turkeys aren't even particularly nice, Michael says. So why not think of an alternative this Christmas.

Michael has a couple of suggestions - Beef Wellington or, for something that's easy but has a real Mediterranean feel to it, Chicken in a Pot.

The easy gets it for us - as well as the promise of lots of rich, aromatic garlic flavours. So here is how to cook your easy Chicken in a Pot

Ingredients:

One free range or corn fed (or both) chicken, size to suit

Three whole garlic bulbs

Celery

Bay leaves

Peppercorns

Olive oil

Salt and seasoning to taste

Method:

Clean all the fat away from the chicken. Then place it in a pot or casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Add some celery, peppercorns, a few drops of olive oil and the three garlic bulbs, broken up into individual cloves, but not skinned.

Cook the chicken in a slow oven (gas mark 2) for two to three hours, until cooked (longer for a larger chicken).

Take it out of the oven. The chicken should fall to pieces off the bone. Serve with vegetables and new potatoes.

If you want a really easy time, says Michael, put vegetables such as carrots and potatoes in the pot to cook with the chicken, and then forget all about it.

Slow cooking and a tightly sealed lid are crucial.

"The best thing is when you take off the lid," Michael says. "The whole kitchen is filled with wonderful aromas."

Christmas music

U2, Oasis, George Michael and the Sugababes will all be jostling for top spot in the Christmas albums charts with their latest best of' compilations. They will be competing against a re-heated Beatles album - 36 classic tracks reworked by George and Giles Martin.

Take That and Westlife are also likely to be up there.

But what about if you want something a little different?

Keith Howe, of Track Records, in Goodramgate, York, fears that "ordinary rubbish" such as Westlife and Take That will take some beating in terms of volume sales.

But there are a few other musicians he'd like to see doing well. Tom Waits' new three CD set Orphans sold well in its first week - at least at Track.

"There are 56 songs, of which 30 are new," he says. Waits may not be everyone's cup of tea. "But he's like an old wine. He gets stronger as he gets better," Keith says.

Jarvis Cocker's new album, Jarvis -"He's really thought about that," says Keith - may also be one to look out for. Mark Knopfler has teamed up with Emmylou Harris for an album entitled All The Roadrunning, and The Who have a new album out for the first time in 24 years, Endless Wire.

But what does he really think will be Christmas's top-selling album? "It's hard to say, really," he says. Bets on Westlife or Take That, anyone?

Stay out of debt this Christmas

IT IS the family highlight of the year - but all too often, debts run up during the festive season can leave us suffering a Christmas hangover for months afterwards.

Every year in January and February, York CAB suffers a surge in calls from families struggling to cope with the mountains of debt they piled up over Christmas, says the CAB's Nikki Humberstone.

"For some, their financial situation has become so serious that they may be facing the loss of their home because they cannot pay the mortgage or rent," Nikki says. It is possible to have a happy Christmas without getting yourself into debt, however, Nikki says.

The CAB has produced a list of top ten tips for a happy, debt-free Christmas: 1. Draw up a budget showing how much money you have coming in each month and how much money has to go out on essential payments and food.

2. Make sure all priority bills are being paid: mortgage or rent; council tax and utility bills.

3. Based on your budget, work out how much you can afford to spend and stick to it. Explain to your friends and family that you can't afford much this Christmas - they will not want you to get further into debt problems because you have spent money you can't afford on expensive gifts for them 4. Plan your gift buying to take advantage of special offers.

5. Think about low-cost gifts such as things you can make, and even gifts of time, perhaps to baby-sit or do repairs or ironing.

6. If you are asked what you would like, consider asking for gift vouchers that you could use to buy essentials such as soap, shampoo, nappies etc in the New Year.

7. Keep a record of all your spending over Christmas. This will help you keep control and help you plan for next year.

8. If you are already in debt don't buy anything on credit. Borrowing money will only add to your debt.

9. Look at ways to increase your income such as increasing hours of work and find out if you are entitled to any benefits such as Tax Credits.

10. If you are struggling with debt now, get help straight away. The longer you put it off the worse the problem will get. Call in at York CAB, 3 Blossom Street (just next to Micklegate Bar). We are open 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday and Tuesday, 4.30pm to 7pm on Wednesday, 9.30am to 11.30am on Thursday and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday.

Gift ideas

Fenwick

• R12K black leather shoulder bag, £119 reduced to £79 (save £40)
• Sudoku, the board game: £12.95
• Lego Creator set, £24.99 reduced to £19.99
• Jamie Oliver professional service cookware, 20 per cent off selected lines

Woolworths

• James Bond DVDs, buy one, get one free, £13.99 each
• Radio-controlled toy Quad bike, £24.99 reduced to £14.99
• Pictionary, £19.99 reduced to £9.99 Also, three for two mix and match on lots of toys, including:
• 22-piece wooden train set, £9.99
• Chad Valley Folk aeroplane, £19.99 reduced to £9.99

Browns of York

• Leather charm bag, exclusive to Browns, £65
• Fashion watches, £15 each or two for £20 - save £10, right
• Mannequin jewellery holders, £10
• Chocolate fountain - was £49.99, now £39.99
• Red Bubble glasses, £6 each or buy four for £20, saving £4

York Designer Outlet

• Fashionable ankle boots at Ravel, buy one pair, get next pair half price, from £25
• Jackets teenagers will love from Bench, starting at £20
• Celine perfume from Perfume Point, reduced from £42 to £7.95
• Three-quarter length luxury cashmere coats for men at Charcoal and Chalk, from £330

Marks & Spencer

• Binoculars, three-for-two offer, £19.50
• Isis aftershave, three for two offer, £9.50
• Per Una leather button gloves, £19.50, right
• Autograph silk nightdress, £30
• Cowboy dress-up outfit, £10

Argos

• Canon Powershop 4MP digital camera, half price at £74.99 (save £75)
• Lost, The Game, £17.99 (save £2)
• Remington R150 Rotary Shaver, £26.59 (save £13.40)
• Samsung 512MB MP3 player and tuner, half price at £34.99 (save £35)
• Arty bumper set (for ages six plus), half price at £6.49 (save £6.50)

Disney Store

Three for two offer on all soft toys, including:

• Winnie-the-Pooh dressed as Santa, £10
• Lightning McQueen and Mater from cars, £12.00 each

Also:

• Lightning McQueen remote control car, £20
• Tigger mugs, reduced from £7.00 to £5.00 (save £2)

Asda

• Junior drum set, £6.98
• Mickey laptop, £14.98
• Bratz Diamondz, £19.97
• Pirates Isla Cruces playset, £24.97
• Barbie Genevieve, £14.98

Boots

Three for two mix and match on a range of toys and gifts, including;

• My First Tunnel, pop-up play tunnel, £9.99
• ELC Funky Footprints, helps your child learn to walk, £20
• Boots National Trust Radio Waves - handy wind-up radio with torch, £15, above
• Scented candles, from £5
• Wagamama wok set - wok, two sets of chopsticks and two bowls plus noodles and soy sauce, £15

The Japanese Shop, Coppergate

Exotically different Christmas gifts, including:

• Traditional kimono, from £39.95
• Bamboo design teacup, £7.99 each
• Mini lucky cats' to bring good luck: £5.99 each
• Selection of stylish Japanese prints mounted on card, £9.99 Virgin

• Best of Oasis, double CD, £8.99

• The Beatles Love, £9.99

• U2 18 Singles, £9.99

• George Michael, twenty five greatest hits, £9.99
• Sugababes, Overloaded, the singles collection, £9.99

Waterstones

• Thomas The Tank Engine: The Complete Collection by Rev W Awdry, half price at £14.99

• Guinness World Records 2007, half price at £9

• Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver, half price at £13

• Close by Martina Cole, £9 off at £9.99

• Gerrard by Steven Gerrard, £8 off at £10.99