Whether it's accommodating a plane- load of visiting relatives from Australia who have to leave before the 25th, or working the Christmas Day shift and having to postpone the festivities for your family, there are scores of reasons for celebrating on a different day. But one-parent families have one of the biggest challenges on their hands when it comes to juggling arrangements.

As well as running a Christmas helpline for lone parents, One Family provides a survival guide to help them through the season.The charity advises parents to:

•Negotiate and finalise access arrangements as early as possible - this will help avoid last-minute confusion and potential arguments

•Get the kids involved with planning Christmas - it can be fun working together and it helps children develop a sense of responsibility

•Reach out to family and friends for support

•Avoid competing with the other parent when giving expensive presents to the children. Try to co-ordinate your gift buying so that everyone wins

•Remind yourself that you are not letting your children down by not giving them exactly what they want.

•Value the love you give them every day of the year: in years to come it will be this they will remember rather than how much you spent on them

•Abandon the idea of the perfect Christmas - there is no such thing!

askonefamily Christmas helpline: Lo-Call 1890- 662212. Christmas opening hours: 10am-3pm Mon-Fri, Dec 1-22 and 27-29. E-mail: support@onefamily.ie