Cooking Christmas dinner for the whole family can be a stressful experience - but not for our readers at The Oldham Times who have been sharing their tips and tricks on how to survive the festive feast this year.

Top of the tip list all boils down to being practical with our readers claiming preparation and planning in advance is the key to success.

Beryl Green has a strict three-stage process where tasks are delegated to family members with her husband on the turkey, stuffing and pigs in blankets while her daughter, Kirsty, does the roasties, Yorkshire puddings, veg and gravy.

Meanwhile, Beryl is left to do the prawn cocktail starter and the pudding later on which she admits they're usually "too full up to eat".

Clever tactics, Beryl.

Nixon Louise and Audrey Whittaker further recommend dishing out some of the most laborious tasks to others, namely the washing up, to allow the cook to unwind with a drink.

Cooking in advance was another top tip shared by many as Andy Dowd cooks his sprouts and carrots the day before while Sheree Collins said most of the main meal can be cooked and frozen ahead.

Sheree also has a list of what needs to go in the oven, on what shelf and at what time but added: "Take a year off, order a Chinese on Christmas eve and have that instead.

"That's my plan this year."

Like Sheree, abandoning the homecooked Christmas dinner entirely is another preferred method among our readers with many saying they'll be dining out this year.

Meanwhile, others said they dodge the stress by going to their parents, the pub or by "leaving everything for someone else to do", as recommended by Anita Ramsdale.

However, most said the best way to tackle the festive feast is to treat it like a regular Sunday roast.

Lisa Robinson advised: "Just go with the flow and do what makes you happy."

Nicola Macaulay added: "Plan and prepare as much as you can but remember, it's really just a fancy Sunday dinner.

"You don't need elaborate starters and if you have young or fussy children, just feed them what they actually like."

If all else fails, there's always alcohol too with Jeanette Moorhouse turning to "a couple of glasses of sherry whilst cooking", Percy Shaw cracking open his bottle once the turkey is securely in and Dave Thomas turning to a bottle of single malt to take the edge off.