Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...Julia Williams, author, mum and juggler gives us the jargon-busting ways to take the stress out of Christmas and sit back and enjoy...

If like me, you tend to do a lot of entertaining during the festive season, the arrival of the Christmas decorations in the shops can be a signal for major stress ahead. Let's face it, while Christmas is the most magical time of the year, it's a huge amount of work for those doing the entertaining. Making it magical for yourself, as well as all your guests is a tricky feat.

Don't stress the small stuff.
I used to get incredibly stressed by the festive season. Particularly once I had small children, and was busy trying to shop, wrap presents, attend nativities and order the turkey in time. Then one year, my youngest daughter ended up in hospital a week before the big day. My husband helpfully succumbed to tonsillitis at the same time, I hadn't finished the Christmas shopping, and we had twelve people for Christmas lunch. Thanks to sterling work by the in laws who arrived on Christmas day armed with pre prepared vegetables and a Christmas pudding we muddled through, and ended up having a lovely day. It was a good lesson for me in focussing on the things that mattered.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.
You are not superwoman. You do not have to produce everything yourself, and it is not requisite that you spend every hour of Christmas Day slaving over a hot stove. If you have family members you can stand to have in your kitchen (I do well understand that not everyone can fit into this role sensitively), then make use of them. When my brother and sister in law come for Christmas lunch they always bring the vegetables, and get stuck in with the clearing up. It feels like a joint effort rather than all the work being done by me and my husband. We all have a better time as a result.

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail
It is easy in the run up to Christmas (particularly if there are small children in the house) to put everything off till the last minute. I know. I've sat up more times than I care to mention wrapping presents on Christmas Eve - I had one particularly joyful year when I went to bed at 2am and the children all got up at 4am... However, I have learnt the hard way, that if you can make the time to plan slightly ahead, then everything becomes much easier. So, I usually prepare the table (and if the in laws aren't coming, the vegetables) the day before and I have a great Marguerite Patten Christmas Pudding recipe which can be made twenty four hours before. Genius for anyone flying by the seat of their pants. I love making Christmas cake, but lack the organisation to get it done in half term (failed again), so now I tend not to bother. Most of my family don't eat it anyway, so it's much better to concentrate on stuff that will be appreciated.

Try not to panic
What's the worst that can happen?

• Children may very well be ill. Last year all of ours succumbed to the winter vomiting bug. It happens. So what?
• The turkey might take ages to cook. Which has happened to me, and we've often ended up eating lunch at 4pm. This is tricky when you have small children, but if they're going to be ill anyway, what does it matter what time you eat?
• Your guests might not get on. This is a difficult one. I read somewhere that Jilly Cooper gets round this by plying everyone with drink, which I agree with up to a point. If you have two guests who don't like each other and get more aggressive as they drink, this can be a recipe for disaster (which has happened in my family). If that's the case, I'd be tempted not to top the relevant people up as frequently as you might. Otherwise, by all means, go for the bon vivant approach and let everyone get splendidly tipsy.

Enjoy yourself
Think about it. The Christmas tradition derives from ancient pagan rituals when our forefathers and mothers took time out from the hardship of winter to have a damned good party to set them up for both the year to come, and presumably to keep them going through the long dark days till Spring. Christmas is still the one time of the year that it is legitimate to get up late, sit around eating and drinking as much as you like, and generally hang out with the people you love. Hanging out with the people you love isn't always without its difficulties, but in our busy busy lives I still think it's a wonderful thing to do.

So take a deep breath, stay focussed, and remember it's the most wonderful time of the year...

Top tips

• Plan ahead. If you're getting a turkey from your local butcher, order it in enough time. If you get a frozen turkey, remember to allow enough time for it to defrost. To save time, consider getting a crown of turkey, which doesn't require you getting up at some unearthly time on Christmas Day to put it on.
• If you haven't got time to make a Christmas Pudding, don't stress. There's always Marks and Spencers.
  If you have guests staying for several days take the stress out of it by ordering some readymade meals from shops like Cook
• Organise a cold collation for Boxing Day so you don't need to do any work
• Ask for help when you need it
• Try to enjoy yourself. It's your day too!

Julia Williams is the author of Last Christmas published by Avon £6.99

The perfect Christmas novel for romantics everywhere, Last Christmas is set in the village of Hope Christmas where four of the villagers are struggling with the festive season. With her marriage in tatters, her children running wild and her mother increasingly forgetful, Catherine Tinsall's seasonal cheer is running low. Husband Noel also hides a secret: he's facing the axe at work. Gabriel North faces a lonely Christmas but hides his sadness for the sake of his son. Will his wife ever come home? Meanwhile, local schoolteacher Marianne Moore is trying to heal her battered heart. All four need a Christmas miracle. And it might just happen - courtesy of a mysterious guardian angel.

Julia has always made up stories in her head, and until recently she thought everyone else did too. She grew up in London, one of eight children, including a twin sister. She married Dave, a dentist, in 1989, and they have four daughters. After the birth of the second, Julia went freelance and decided to try her hand at writing.