Autumn in Britain is beautiful, but October and November can sometimes feel like that 4pm crash in a long work day that you have to slog through before you can head to the pub – October and November are the slump before Christmas.

But what a waste to discount two whole months by looking straight past them to the end of year celebrations!

Instead, why not try to make autumn a festivity in itself? Wrap up against the cold, protect your skin and lips with plenty of moisturizer, and explore the great British outdoors.

Head for the countryside for a bike ride and take in all the colours of nature of Autumn in Britain as you go.

Or take a day trip to the beach – a brisk walk on a windy beach can be invigourating, with the added bonus of looking forward to a steaming mug of tea by the fire when you get back!

If you live near one, a moor is a fantastic place to visit in the autumn. If you’ve always fancied taking up a new sport or having a go at running or cycling, use that ‘back-to-school’ feeling you get from autumn to sign up for a class or join a group.

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Now that the summer’s gone and the kids are back to school, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas.

Christmas!? Alright, perhaps it’s a bit early to start thinking seriously about it, but it is certainly worth considering your budget, plans for big presents, and whether you want to put on a spread and invite people round or steer clear of entertaining so you can relax with the family instead.

We are all often guilty of putting off thinking about Christmas too early, complaining instead about the shops that start playing Slade in October!

But having a plan in place early on and getting ready for Christmas 2011 can take a lot of the stress out what can be the most stressful time of the year for many of us, leaving us free to enjoy it instead.

Things you can realistically do now that will lighten the load throughout December include:

* Buying presents (but not wrapping them – they’ll be crumpled by December if you do!)

* Overhauling the house – if you plan to have people round or put people up, you won’t want to be doing those last-minute DIY jobs once the decorations go up. Spend some time now getting them out of the way so you can concentrate on more festive activities nearer the time.

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