THIS is definitely the time of year that we suffer from Festive Retail Stress.

I made up that name, but it's plainly only weeks away from being recognised as a real syndrome, complete with costly research, experts and its own support group.

In the quest to ensure we buy the right gifts for our family and friends, many of us enter into a state of constant concern and financial worry about the whole Christmas shopping process.

So, I suggest a gentle compromise.

Come into Bolton town centre and shop on a Sunday.

If it's not a day you normally think of shopping -- and, understandably, many people do not -- please consider it.

I came into the town centre last Sunday and it was one of the most relaxing pre-Christmas shopping sessions I've ever had. The main stores, and many of the smaller ones, were open and uncrowded.

Assistants seemed to have more time to chat and to help, and the whole atmosphere was stress-free and easygoing.

It was easy to browse through the rails and displays of merchandise, and it was quiet.

Conversely, I took my elderly Mum to the Trafford Centre the other week and we were confronted by a scene from Shopping Hades.

The Trafford Centre is brilliant, full of terrific shops -- some of which aren't anywhere else regionally -- and during my very irregular visits there, it's usually a delight.

But ...... Christmas changes all that.

It was a chaotic crush, especially pushing someone in a wheelchair. And, although we were not buying much, we restricted our time there purely because of the claustrophobic crowds.

No. It sounds incredibly parochial, narrow and probably totally insular, but from now on I'll be coming into Bolton town centre to do the rest of my Christmas shopping.

Probably on a Sunday. And definitely minus any FRS.