While Christmas is a time of joy and giving that everyone looks forward to, it’s safe to say it’s not without its financial pressures for many.

From gifting to socialising throughout the festivities, it’s no surprise that the month of December is one of the most expensive months for households on the calendar.

For those who struggle financially during the year, Christmas is more than often a time of high anxiety and stress when it comes to managing finances. Kerry MABS, the money advice and budgeting service is encouraging the public to be mindful of their realistic spending budgets and to reach out to MABS to speak with a Money Advisor or to avail of their useful financial planning tools and information on www.mabs.ie for advice.

“For the majority of people, Christmas is one of the most demanding and stressful months financially and unfortunately, we see a lot of people entering into the New Year in debt and under financial pressure," Eamonn Foley, Money Advice Co-Ordinator, Kerry MABS, said.

"The financial demands during the festive period make it very easy to exceed budgets and rack up debts. At MABS, we are here to help and support the public in better managing their particular financial situations and making these expensive periods like Christmas that little bit easier.”

For the month of December, MABS has launched a nationwide social media campaign to help the public this Christmas. The campaign titled 'Boss Christmas with MABS', meaning, Budget, Online and Offline Spending, Shopping, and Saving is targeted at those who want to take control and aims to empower people with skills, tips, and life hacks to make celebrating Christmas a little easier.

Kerry MABS is encouraging those who will find this period financially stressful to make sure they stick to a plan of realistic gifting and socialising expenses to avoid going over budget and spending unnecessary money on last-minute gifts. MABS strongly advises against borrowing money to spend on gifts and Christmas expenses which will put individuals under even more pressure in the New Year.

For more information on MABS and to find your local office, visit www.mabs.ie or call their helpline on 0818 07 2000, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm.