It is early November and we are now less than 2 months away from 
Christmas, which is about enough time to do all your Christmas shopping.
But instead of putting it all on your credit card this year like you have often done, why not start budgeting and saving for it from now? you have at least 4 pay periods from now till the last few days before Christmas and if you allocate a small amount or percentage from each check towards Christmas shopping, you will have more than enough to get all you want for yourself and for your family and friends. And by doing this simple strategy, you get to spend January relaxed and not worrying about upcoming credit card bills.
For example, if you deduct $100 to $150 from every paycheck (less if you get paid weekly), you will have saved anywhere from 500-600 dollars for Christmas shopping which is close to the average amount that North Americans spend on Christmas shopping.
And as an added bonus, you can still go ahead and pay with your credit card to get their loyalty points, and then pay it back right away with the cash you have saved.
The depression that usually sets-in after the holidays are over, can be partially eliminated this year by following this simple strategy. Not to mention, you are learning a very important lesson in budgeting and finance that can apply to many other situations in your life.