The festive season can be a busy, stressful time for everyone - not just for burglars.

To help you survive those long hours watching reruns of Ben-Hur in unnatural proximity to loved ones, we've compiled this handy collection of holiday tips, gift ideas and gratuitous venom.

How to Pull an Office Cracker provides some sensitive advice about conducting a seasonal fling, and you can get your own back on some Chrismashits of yesteryear in our Vote for the Worst Christmas Single.

Our Gift Suggestions might not make it onto next year's Booker short list, but they would grace anyone's smallest room (and stand a reasonable chance of actually being read).

For mistletoe-shy misanthropes, the 10 Things I Hate About Yule should be a source of like-minded comfort, and the useful How Drunk Are You? game should give you an idea of how far past get-your-coat-time it really is.

The Festive Slacker Tips are there to help you negotiate this hectic time without lifting a finger, and - for those cheerful souls who remain unconvinced by such a jaundiced take on the Season of Good Swill - we've got hordes of tinseltastic alternatives in our guide to Festive Season Websites.

Happy Holidays. With bells on...