With the new school year in full swing and talk of getting our big coats out now the weather’s turned chilly, the next logical step is to start thinking about Christmas.

Herts Advertiser: A stress-free Christmas sounds like something worth working towards. Picture: GettyA stress-free Christmas sounds like something worth working towards. Picture: Getty (Image: LittleBee80)

I know, I know – it’s only just October. But as of this Tuesday that means there are a mere 12 weeks to go until the day of days.

If you’re anything like me this means you’ll completely ignore all things festive until a few weeks before the 25th, at which point you’ll commence frantic list-writing and panicky, high pressure trips into town in search of all the things you should have bought weeks ago.

All the while you’ll be moaning about how commercial it’s all become and next year you’ll be donating to charity and calling the whole thing off. Ho, ho, ho!

Starting that whole process 12 weeks early may sound somewhat premature, but the promise of a stress-free festive period is a goal worth working towards according to Tracy Ross of Blissfully Organised, and I’m inclined to agree.

Having already decided where we’ll be spending Christmas, I can confidently tick one thing off the week one list. For the first time since having kids we’ll be at home on Christmas morning, meaning no hours spent in traffic jams (it’s what Christmas is all about!), no falling out with extended family (ditto) and, with any luck, no stress.

Not that spending the festive period in the homes of our nearest and dearest is in any way, ahem, stressful, but it will be nice to be actual proper grown ups at last with the added bonus of no hosting.

Now I just need to finish ticking things off Tracy’s list for this week and set my budget for gifts and food, and decide what I’m buying and for whom. That could all take a bit longer…