Tips on shopping

Christmas: Going into debt for presents

Buying presents before Christmas is not a pleasure for everyone - especially if money is tight.(Bild: Viennareport/Keystone Pressedienst/Schulz, Volkmar)

Retailers rejoice in the pre-Christmas period with ringing tills, but there is also a darker side - because many Vorarlberg residents cannot actually afford to buy expensive gifts and end up in debt.

For Anna, 34, Christmas was not always a time of joy - but of stress. She always wanted to give her two children and family something special to make them happy - as is expected in our society. Financially, however, the single mother was short of money. The pressure to buy expensive presents and live up to expectations grew year after year until it finally overwhelmed her.