There is nothing quite like Christmas Day; the look on the kids' faces as they unwrap their presents, the mince pies and port, the turkey and Trivial Pursuit. Christmas brings a warm glow to an otherwise gloomy winter's day and is well worth the hassle of all the preparations and the hours spent battling through crowds of shoppers.

But despite promises to the contrary each year, many people leave the all important Christmas shopping until the last minute. With a computer and the internet at your disposal, though, it doesn't have to be that way.

So to help you save shoe leather and stress, here is Computeractive's guide to the best shopping websites for Christmas fare.

Festive flavours
If you can't loosen your belt a notch or two during December, then when can you? Online food shopping has come a long way in the past few years and now most of the high-street supermarkets provide online stores and home delivery services.

Make sure you check the delivery options of the site you decide to use. Some will have shorter time windows than others, meaning you can predict the delivery man's arrival far more accurately.

Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury's and Iceland all have online stores that are simple to navigate, easy to register with and offer quick and reasonably cheap delivery options. Be aware that some sites have a minimum order on some products. Tesco, for example, demands that you purchase at least six bottles of Champagne or 12 bottles of wine.

If you enjoy a traditional Christmas, look no further than Somerset Organics. The farm that sells its products through the site is spread over 300 acres of Somerset countryside, and can deliver great-tasting food using a 24-hour delivery service.

From free-range turkeys to handmade luxury game pies, the site really gets your mouth watering. Again, it is not cheap (a organic bronze turkey comes in at £9.45 a kilo), but it is the most important meal of the year. And the site promises that anyone not satisfied with their order will get their money back.

It is also worth taking a look at the award-winning Hamper.com. The site offers a selection of hampers to suit all budgets, ranging from just £30 to almost £200, and would provide an excellent treat for you and your family at Christmas, or make a tasty present.

Christmas spirits
The term Christmas spirit probably doesn't refer to the bottled stuff, but every celebration needs to be washed down with something. The internet now plays host to a whole range of wine, beer and alcohol shops that can at first seem quite bewildering.

Again, most of the supermarkets will have substantial wine, beer and spirit sections on their websites and it would probably make sense to have a look at the offers available if you are already visiting one of those stores.

If you're looking for something special, though, there are many online stores that are often cheaper than high-street stores and even online supermarkets as they have to have a unique selling point that will attract your business.

Oddbins offers a comprehensive online shop, including a gift section, a 'new to wine' section and free glass hire for Christmas parties. You will find a huge selection of wines, ranging from cheap and cheerful clarets to premier crus costing up to £240 a bottle.

If this doesn't satisfy your craving for fine wines then why not visit Chateau Online, a wine connoisseur's heaven. Be warned, however, that this site can prove bewildering for the wine novice. Because most of the wines are stored in warehouses, delivery times can also vary greatly, in some cases up to three weeks. So you will have to get your order in by the end of November.

Of course, Christmas is all about celebration and what better way to celebrate than to break open a bottle of bubbly. All of the online stores we have listed here sell Champagne and, from our experience, the majority of specialist champagne resellers on the internet are a little over-priced and best avoided.

In our opinion, Majestic and Virgin Wines have the most impressive online stores. Majestic is a hugely successful wine warehousing business, and from its website it is easy to see why.

It offers a wide range of services from free glass loan to the free provision of chiller bins and even ice. Majestic even offers a sale-or-return service, so you don't have to worry about over-buying. And, on top of this, delivery is free.

Majestic even has a special area on its site dedicated to buying in Calais. While you will have to cross the channel to pick up your internet-ordered goods, if you spend more than £300 Majestic will pay for your ferry-crossing.

Parlour games
If you are busy eating your newly delivered organic free-range turkey, and sipping on a fine claret, you might want to use the computer to keep the children entertained for an hour or so. Christmas presents, although fascinating for kids for the first half hour or so after being opened, have an uncanny habit of being discarded in favour of Dad's new digital camera, or Grandma's hearing aid!

Luckily the internet has a whole host of attractions for the little terrors that could give you that couple of hours of peace before it's time to start eating again.

The first place you should try is the BBC site, which has an excellent dedicated section for children. Hours can be passed playing games, watching cartoons and taking part in quizzes, among other things, most of which, in true BBC style, are educational as well.

The BBC also offers advice on how to survive the festive season with your wits intact. From tips on how to cope with the influx of relatives to advice on recipes, decoration tips and stress relief, the BBC seems to have most situations covered.

Another good site for the kids is Magical Kingdom, which provides a variety of games, puzzles, stories and activities for children, as well as instructions on how to make greetings cards and decorations.

You may also want to spend a few hours singing carols with the family or neighbours. Visit Christmas Carols to find the words to most of the popular Christmas carols, available to download and print at your leisure.

Wrapped and ready
As if cooking, cleaning and stocking the pantry wasn't enough, you must also think about cards and gifts. Fortunately, the internet is an expert on gift ideas. Sites such as Play.com and Amazon are always worth a look for films, music and games and offer cheap and reliable services.

But the internet also has a wealth of more interesting and adventurous alternatives. Men are often difficult to buy for, but the oddly named Menkind has plenty of ideas for dads, husbands, boyfriends and brothers. From bottle opener key rings to handheld space invader games, digital cameras and a 20-piece barbecue set, this site has a bit of everything, and is bound to provide inspiration without you ever having to leave the house.

If you are looking for something completely different, then a visit to Buyagift or Red Letter Days will be on the cards. Red Letter Days provides gifts with a difference, such as a ride in a hot air balloon, rally car driving and swimming with sharks. It is well worth a visit and could give a loved one an unexpected and very pleasant surprise come the big day.

Some people simply do have everything they need, and won't be thrilled at the idea of being pushed into a shark cage, particularly older friends and loved ones. Buyagift gives you the chance to surprise them with something personal such as an edition of a newspaper from the day they were born, a case of wine or a specialist hamper.

If the truth be told, the internet is so awash with people trying to sell you things that it can all get a bit bewildering. So why not try out some of the names you already know and trust, such as John Lewis. The John Lewis website is one of our favourites. It has everything, from next-day deliveries to a gift service that will make the task of buying presents for all those nieces, nephews and cousins a doddle.

For sweet-toothed friends, a box of Belgian chocolates should go down a treat. Neuhaus sells chocolates in various price ranges around the world, while Benjis the Sweet Shop enables you to choose exactly the type of chocs you want in your gift box, so there's no chance of leaving your loved one with an unwanted rum truffle.

Cook up a storm
Why not let someone else think about what you will put on the table this Christmas day? There are several sites out there that offer excellent recipe ideas for the big day including, not surprisingly, the BBC's. In fact, the BBC Food site is one of the most impressive on offer, with contributions from all the celebrity chefs, including Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey.

It is easy to search through a whole raft of recipe ideas and its dedicated Christmas section has ideas for Christmas dinner, as well as snacks and festive treats. It even has a feature on how to cope with the stresses of a descending family.

If you are a fan of that stalwart of TV cooking, Delia Smith, you will not be disappointed with her website. It has a fully searchable recipe collection, and links to external sites which will help with ideas. There's some paid-for content, but plenty of free stuff to sink your teeth into.

Holiday cheer
Christmas is the most exciting time of year, as loved ones come together to spend time in each others' company. Presents are bought for family and friends, and for children, the days leading up to the big day seem to pass at a snail's pace.

But it can also be one of the most stressful times of year. Preparations for Christmas seem to start earlier, presents get bigger, families more extensive and the in-laws grumpier. The internet really can help to cut down on the work, leaving you and your family to enjoy Christmas for what it should be: a family occasion and the chance for everyone to relax and put their feet up.

But you must log on now. Pay a visit to just a few of these sites and get the ball rolling on your Christmas preparations. Just a word of warning: make sure you are at home when you are expecting your deliveries. Christmas Eve is not the best day to be spent queuing at the local Royal Mail collection depot.

In case of emergency
We'd all like a perfect Christmas, but accidents can happen and minor household disasters have a habit of occurring when it's least convenient. Below is a list of useful websites that hopefully you will never need.

NHS Direct
Advice, 24-hour phone numbers, and health encyclopaedias will put your mind at rest in the event of an illness.

NHS in England
A searchable database of doctors in the event of an emergency.

Yellow Pages Online
Almost everything you could ever need over the festive period.

British Dental Association
There is nothing worse than toothache. The British Dental Association will help you find a dentist in your area quickly.

Transco
The emergency service for gas leaks.

Plumbers UK
A database of 7,500 plumbers nationwide.