CHRISTMAS? Who wants to think about Christmas when you haven't even put this year's summer holiday snaps in the album yet?

Well alarming though the thought may be, the season of festivities is approaching at a brisk reindeer trot.

It's that time of year when window dressers are rifling through their gander bags for the spray-on snow.

When Noddy Holder adds a morning gargle to his daily routine and when turkeys begin to look anxious.

Many pubs, restaurants and hotels in the county have already had their special seasonal menus printed and are taking reservations now for the festive season to come.

You need to book well in advance because the run up to Christmas is the busiest time of year for the catering trade.

This is especially true if you are the person who has to make arrangements for the office do, for example.

Eating houses need to know well ahead if you're asking them to accommodate a large group.

But another reason for booking early is that many local eating houses reward early reservations with, for example, a free bottle of house wine.

The important message is to book early to avoid disappointment. And the same goes for shopping. If you leave the Christmas shopping to December 24, as men in particular can be prone to do, you guarantee an exhausting and miserable time for yourself. So make a list of presents you intend to give and get yourself out onto the High Street while there's still time to find what you're looking for. Of course, it may be that you're thinking about avoiding the washing up and staying in a hotel over the Yuletide. It's a tempting prospect in many ways. No Christmas food shopping to do. No distant relatives turning up for a surprise visit, staying for hours and eating you out of house and home.

No need to get up at four in the morning on Christmas day to turn on the oven and shoehorn an ostrich-sized turkey into it.

In which case the same rule applies. Hotels book up quickly for Christmas, so book now and don't run the risk of disappointment.

Or you may be considering going abroad over the festive time, in which case you should be thumbing those brochures right now.

However you propose to spend Christmas, a little planning now will save a great deal of heartache later and could help keep your blood pressure down. Oh yes, and if your plans are simple and all you want to do is stay at home for a traditional Christmas with lunch just like granny used to make it, best get those sprouts on smartish.