Tips on shopping

Christmas presents as a treacherous debt trap

Before Christmas, there is a great consumer mood - the rude awakening often comes afterwards.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Colorful baubles, fairy lights and lots of full shop windows with great presents: the Christmas shopping season has long since begun. However, the pressure to spend during the festive season is high. Financially, things are getting tight for some. The "Krone" gives tips to prevent Christmas Eve from becoming a debt trap.

For Anna, 34, Christmas was not always a time of joy, but of stress. She always wanted to give her two children and her family something special to make them happy - as is expected in our society. Financially, however, it was a struggle for the single mother. The pressure to buy expensive gifts and live up to expectations grew year after year - until she had to realize that she could no longer go on like this.