Christmas can be a very expensive time of year, with the festivities, buying of presents, eating and drinking more and for many people it can really stretch the budget, There are some things that you can do to save money on the cost of Christmas. Naturally you don't have to do all these ideas as everyone has things that they like to do and may not want to change.

Presents
When going Christmas present shopping set yourself a budget on how much you want to spend on everyone and don't go over it. If you choose a budget that you are comfortable with and will be able to afford and stick to it without getting carried away then this is one way to reduce how much you spend. It is very easy to get carried away when buying presents, but imagine if you set a budget and you spend just £15 more on 3 people in your family that is getting on for £50 extra you will be spending. The thought is what really counts and with a bit of careful planning on what you think everyone would like you can keep to your targets.

Also it is worth trying to do cash back shopping, this way you can get money back when you buy things, there are plenty of places to chop at and get money back on your purchases.

Christmas cards
Every year people sit down and write out loads and loads of Christmas cards before posting them off. There are a few ways you can save money with Christmas cards.
When you write your cards this year make a list of who you send them too, and when Christmas is over and you are taking the cards down tick off on your list who has sent you a card. Unless you've been forgetful then you shouldn't have many extra one's to add to the list (and if you have then they might have crossed you off their list for next year by this time anyway). Then next year when you start writing out Christmas cards, you can see who on your list sent you one last year and who didn't and just send to those who sent you one.
The next idea is one that with the money you save you could donate to a charity. This idea probably works best with your closer friends who you see quite often, you could come to an agreement that you won't send each other Christmas cards this year and instead donate the amount it would have cost you for the card and postage to charity. There are going to be those people who you don't speak to as often who you may feel more comfortable to send a card to instead of this though. If you have a group of friends who all send cards between you all then this is something that you could all agree to do, even if it's just a group of 5 friends, that is an extra 20 cards that won't need to be sent between the lot of you.
The next suggestion is to do with the delivery of your cards, if you need to post your card, send them second class post and not first. A second class stamp costs 21p compared to a first class at 28p, so if you post 50 cards second class instead of first class you will make an instant saving of £3.50.
Remember latest recommended latest postage date for Christmas delivery within the UK :-
Second Class Post - Saturday 18th December
First Class Post - Tuesday 21st December

Another delivery money saving tip is for any cards that you may be sending, where possible hand deliver them. Put your local one's in a bag and walk/ride to deliver them. You could even do them in stages, say all the cards for one area deliver one day and the nest day deliver the others. This can be great fun and is not only exercise but also saving you money as your not paying to post them.

Lots if not most people now have access to the internet and email, one free way to send a Christmas greeting is an e-card. There are plenty of free e-cards you can send on the internet to someone's email, you are able to personalize them with your own message. Plenty of places do it and best of all it's free so you are saving money.