Hi Mimi
Last year I managed to keep my postage bill down by e-mailing Christmas greetings to some people, rather than sending them cards. That might sound stingy but I spent quite a lot of time designing individual 'cards' for each person (using Photoshop) and the final result was far more personal than simply buying a card and posting it.
If you send cards to lots of people in your home town, it might be worth finding out whether your local Scouts are offering a cut-price delivery service.
You can keep the booze bill down by simpler buying cheaper brands. For example, if you've got a guest who's a wine snob, you could try to impress him by buying a decent vintage claret at �50 a bottle or, much better, you can impress him by showing that you know how to find a real bargain and serve him something reasonably drinkable at �4 per bottle. (If your great aunt, who only drinks at Christmas, is coming, serve her Tesco's Spanish table wine, at �2.10 per bottle. It's drinkable and she won't know the difference!)
Also, don't spend hours slaving over Christmas lunch. It's probably far cheaper to buy most of it , ready prepared, from Iceland. (By lunchtime, everybody is either too tired or too sloshed to tell the difference).
Anyway, you won't be at home over Christmas. I've already booked you to join me in the jungle! See the last page here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Q uestion325696.html
Chris
PS: Last year, I checked AB every day in the few weeks before Christmas, looking for one of your posts, so that I could wish you a Merry Christmas - but you weren't around ;-( This year, I'll get in early: I hope that you, and all of your family (especially my favourite - the lad with the hot feet!), have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!