Just 37 per cent of people say that they can easily afford food, gifts and merriment through the wonderful time of the year, according to a survey of more than 2,000 adults by vouchercloud.com.  

To fill the gap 36 per cent of Brits will turn to credit cards this Christmas, a 12 per cent increase from last year. While some plan to put as little as £55 on their cards, others expect to spend as much as £2,700. Vouchercloud.com calculated an average spend of  £750.

Matthew Wood of vouchercloud.com said: “I don’t mean to sound like the Grinch, but Christmas is not cheap!  It’s not like a birthday, where there is only one person to buy for. With presents required for family and friends it can really stretch the finances.

“When those finances are stretched and the pressure to provide is on then people can look outside their normal means, which can be a dangerous game.  Our advice to those credit card users or those contemplating a credit card for Christmas is to make sure you can afford it before you take the leap. They can be dangerously tempting, and family and friends would prefer no gifts at all than seeing their loved ones in debt at Christmas.”