The lighter side of life with Kate Mason: It doesn’t pay to be organised this Christmas

The presents are wrapped, the mince pies are made and it’s finally time to put your feet up with a large glass of mulled wine while watching an Only Fools and Horses re-run on the box.

Christmas Eve should be a time of celebration, a chance to pat yourself on the back for making it through the frantic festive countdown and rejoice safe in the knowledge that you’ve ticked everything off your to do list ahead of the big day.

Whilst this image of festive bliss, befitting of a picture perfect Christmas card, sounds good in theory, in reality I’m usually the one running through the shopping centre elbowing old dears out of the way in a bid to purchase last minute presents.

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After charging round the shops like a headless turkey the rest of the day is usually spent packing away Christmas cards that I’ve not managed to post in time and vowing to be more organised next year.

But in what I can only describe as a Christmas miracle I have been slightly more organised this time around.

I ordered the majority of my gifts online, I started the wrapping process relatively earlier and even remembered to book in my Christmas hair cut well ahead of schedule - as far as I was concerned I was well and truly in the Christmas smug zone (by my usual standards anyway)

But my festive glow was dealt a devastating blow when I realised the shops I had been faithful to all year round had carried out a Judas style deed and well and truly stabbed me in the back.

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As if betraying us during the January sales when we discover all the presents we’ve forked out for are now half price wasn’t enough this year our friendly retailers have jumped the gun and done it before Christmas Day.

Fantastic you may say, finally a reason to be merry and bright, but why would they choose to do this on the one year I actually decide to be organised?

Turns out if I’d just waited until the last minute like normal the three make-up sets, four mohair scarves and five costume jewellery rings would have cost me a fraction of the price.

‘Take them back and re-buy’ them I hear some of you screaming but who can be bothered with that?

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But in the spirit of not sounding like a total Scrooge I suppose it would be fitting to try and find the silver lining in this situation - at least I’ve got more time eat, drink and be merry with friends and family and not worry about the stress of shopping until the January sales. Merry Christmas everyone x