The best way to avoid holiday debt is to watch how much you spend over Christmas! Make a note of how much you can afford to spend. Give yourself a limit and try not to go over it. Write down all the gifts that you are planning to buy for friends and family and take advantage of any special offers in stores that will allow you to save money.
If you have a credit card, then stick to using cash instead, as you are more likely to go overboard with spending when using a credit card. If you don’t have a lot of money to buy big gifts in time for Christmas day, then stick to smaller ones and look for items in the sales after Christmas. You can use any gifts you buy after Christmas for birthday presents or even stock up for the next Christmas.
Hope this helps!