Here are five tips to avoid massive Christmas debt. 1. Make a budget and stick with it. A budget is helpful in many facets of life and Christmas is no different. 2. Don't forget to budget hidden costs. Things like holiday travel, Christmas parties or children's activities are easy to overlook, but are an important part of the budget. 3. Don't buy everything with credit cards If you don't have the money to pay it back immediately, it's not worth it and your friends and family will understand your situation. 4. Plan ahead. Some ideas include making and freezing food you would usually buy ready-made or you could even start saving now for next year's Christmas to lighten the burden. 5. If you do overspend, don't freak out. Just go back to the basics to set a budget that will get you back on track and don't ignore it or put it off and also take care of it sooner than later.