• Book Christmas travel
  Flights have to be booked well in advance, of course, but don’t forget domestic travel, too. Save money (and stress) by booking train or coach tickets, as well as taxis and airport parking now.

• Work on your list
  This will give you time to check it twice. We like to have five columns: who we’re buying for, budget, ideas of what to get, what we eventually buy them and how much we end up spending.

• Book food-delivery slots
  Christmas delivery slots vary by supermarket: Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are mid-October, Tesco and Aldi are mid-November; Waitrose are live already. Specialist shops, like butchers and fish/cheesemongers, also vary widely so if you have your heart set on a particular supplier, check now.

• Check decorations
  It might seem early, but if they need replacing it’s a good idea to do it soon, before shops start running low on stock. The prettiest tree ornaments sell out early too.

• Plan December days out
  Christmas markets in bigger towns often run throughout Advent, but look for smaller pop-ups, too. Find out if they are ticketed and when they go on sale, and pop dates in the calendar. Not sure where to start? Try the National Trust and English Heritage websites for annual markets and illuminations. Churches have carols by candlelight services: usually free or with proceeds going to charity, but even free ones are often ticketed.

• Work out big meals
  Supermarkets have opened their Christmas Food to Order sections, so you can order the main-event items, like turkeys, ham and showstopper puddings, to collect in Christmas week.

• Get into online shopping
  The best bargains will be coming up now ahead of Black Friday on 24th November, and you’re still a long way from having to worry about pushing last-order dates.

• Do your Christmas baking
  This is the week of Stir-up Sunday (26th November) when cooks make the traditional Christmas cake, pudding and filling for mince pies, then leave them to mature until Christmas.

• Christmas cards – buy or make
  Christmas cards should never arrive in November, so hold back on posting them until at least next week, but you can purchase and start writing them now, especially if you like to write longer messages. If you’re crafting Christmas cards and presents with children, this is a great weekend to do it,
to get into the festive mood.

• Buy wrapping and ribbons
  Once you have it in the house, you can wrap presents as you go, so it doesn’t seem like such a mammoth task on the 23rd.

• Give the house a deep clean
  Not the most fun bit but definitely worth doing before you get the decorations out. A proper clean now will mean you can do more superficial sprucing in December. Think oven, fridge, and dusting the high shelves you don’t normally get around to.

• Decorate
  If you’re opting for a real tree, it’s best to get it this weekend or later, so it still looks its best for Christmas Day. Faux trees can go up earlier and stay as long as you like.

• Make-ahead meals
  For minimal stress on the big day you can make and freeze things, like stuffing, pigs in blankets, mince pies (homemade or shop bought). Brandy butter can be made now and stored in a cool place. Baked dishes – vegetarian options and Boxing Day to new-year meals can often be cooked partially or in full and frozen, to defrost and reheat as needed.

• Check that present list
  Whether you’re ordering online, making yourself or planning to hit the shops, it will be less stress to do it this week than next.

• Sort the spare room
  If you have people coming to stay, get the spare room looking guest-ready now. Cosy bedding, plump pillows and a Christmassy scent diffuser. Need ideas? Check out our feature on creating guest bedrooms they'll want to return to.

• Defrost your turkey
  Big turkeys take days – not hours – to defrost so make sure you’ve worked out exactly how long it takes by weight, adjusted for whether you want to defrost in a cool place or in the fridge (the later takes much longer).

• Finish up wrapping
  Make it a pleasure, not a chore, by putting on The Holiday and staying up with ribbons, tape, Kate Winslet and Jude Law.

• The big food shop
  If you haven’t done an online order, 23rd December is the most popular day for the main Christmas shop. This year, it’s a Saturday, so expect it to be busier than ever (and consider going on Friday, instead, if you can).

• Defrost your freezer-prep items
  Before your turn in on the 23rd, anything you’ve pre-frozen for Christmas dinner should come out, to defrost in the fridge.

• Lay the table
  Not only does this save you a big job for tomorrow, but it also looks beautiful and holds such a glow of festive potential.

• Prep the drinks
  If you’re having white wine or mid-morning champagne, get them in the fridge today, along with fruit juice, sparkling water and soft drinks. Red wine can be put straight out on the table, or on the side.

• Get ahead with the main meal
  Take some of the cooking out of tomorrow by peeling vegetables, prepping sprouts, wrapping pigs in blankets and getting roasting trays ready.

And that’s it! Our top tip, though, is this: remember it doesn’t all need to be perfect. Even if things don’t go to plan, they can still be a delicious celebration of family, friends and the festive time of year. Relax, enjoy and have a lovely Christmas season.