Now that we are heading at breakneck speed to the peak retail season (ie Christmas), you will soon, if you are not already, be wondering what to do about all those gifts and other expenses that need to be catered for in the holiday season. November and December are months not only of major expense, but also of major temptation; such as department stores and department store credit cards.

Many of those temptations will be glaring at you in the local department store. The Christmas decorations, the wonderful foods, the specially wrapped sweets and chocolates, the fashions for the Christmas parties, the jewellery and perfume to impress your girlfriend. Increasingly over the next few months you will be surrounded in the department store by people hurriedly stuffing their shopping baskets with all things Christmassy; frantically spending as if there were no tomorrow. Well, maybe there is no tomorrow, I am not privileged to know; but let's assume there is a tomorrow, and lots more, and then it's Christmas Day.

Spending can be contagious. Can be? It is! People go silly in the run up to Christmas. The sad thing is, many of those who do go silly cannot afford it; the shopping binge becomes a credit binge, which leads to a miserable New Year. The department store is like a magnet for this seasonal silliness; whether you are from the North Pole or South Pole, or anywhere in between, the magnetic attraction is there.

One thing you can be sure of is that department stores will be doing all they can to grab your cash in the next few months, whether you have any or not. You have no savings, no cash to spare? Then the department store credit card will be brandished temptingly in every nook and cranny of the store. With all the dazzle, the sparkle, and frenetic buying of a glitzy Christmas going on around you, those easy department store credit cards could be like an oasis in the desert. Money, money, money to spend, spend and spend.

Tempted? Department store credit cards do have their place, but not necessarily in your wallet. Interest rates can be high, so watch out for that if you feel yourself being sucked into their trap. But they're offering interest free credit, I hear you shout? But for how long? Ever? I doubt it. Can you really afford to pay back within the free credit period? There could be a sting in the tail of that credit card from your local department store. So check the offers properly, and the fine print before you sign.