More of us than ever before have been shopping online this Christmas.

It's hardly surprising given the results of a recent survey which revealed that more than two thirds of shoppers found high street shopping more stressful than moving house.

Chief dislikes were the jostling with other shoppers and not being able to find items due to untidy stores. Convenience, reduced stress levels and cheaper prices are the reasons so many are turning to the Internet rather than the local park n' ride.

You've also been stocking up early on Christmas presents after last years freezing weather meant delayed deliveries or complete no-shows of goods in time for Christmas Day.

No wonder then that online sales are expected to reach more than £13bn during Christmas. Good news for bargain hunters but bad news for the high st, whose retailers are bracing themselves for their worst Christmas since 2008's credit crunch.

The unseasonably warm weather has already dented their takings on fashion and housewares.

And if you're leaving it till the last minute, remember that Amazon's free delivery option will end on 18th December. The Post Office's standard parcel service last day for posting is December 14th.

Is your home Internet running slow since the cold weather started?

Have you noticed your home Internet connection running a little slower than usual since the cold weather began?

The 'cold' is affecting the system though not in the way you might imagine - wrapping the exchanges up in woolly scarves and hats isn't going to help. The problem is the increased usage.

One Internet provider reported a usage increase of 40% when the cold spell first struck as thousands of workers were forced to work from home, unable to make it into the office. When you add to that the seasonal increases as people shopped online for Christmas presents, it's not hard to understand why speeds were so slow.

Meanwhile, some online retailers have warned shoppers that Christmas orders may not be delivered as they struggle to get good delivered and deliveries made. The Royal Mail has already suspended its guaranteed next day delivery service (correct at time of writing).

A survey revealed that over half of British consumers planned to make an online purchase last week with over £600 million in online transactions recorded on one day alone.

This story is taken from our weekly homeowner newsletter published on the 20th December 2010.

photo credit: chris metcalf