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For some people, opening up a credit card statement is like a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past. Holiday shoppers are expected to spend generously this year, with the National Retail Federation estimating the average consumer's outlay at $1,007 for everything from gifts to food to holiday attire — a 4.1 percent increase from last year. Another analysis, from NerdWallet, anticipates an 18 percent jump on gift spending alone, to an average total $776. But that doesn't give the true picture of the cost: 28 percent of shoppers are entering this holiday season still paying off debt from last year's festivities, according to NerdWallet.

Experts say that if you're among those still lugging around debt from last year, now is a good time to pause and strategize, before Black Friday week sets off a long stretch of frenzied spending. "If you're going into the holidays with debt, your first priority should be to focus on paying it down," said Bruce McClary, vice president of communications at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. "Everything else should be secondary. The worst thing you could do is dig yourself a deeper hole." First step to keep things in check: Get a handle on your debt. Make a list, including balances and interest rates. That can help you figure out how dire the situation is, and the best strategy to pay down the debt, he said. (See infographic below for tips.) Moves like asking your credit card issuer for a better interest rate, or using a low-rate balance transfer, could help make it easier to juggle debt repayment with ongoing expenses, McClary said. But keep your focus on the debt repayment, rather than a license to keep holiday spending big. "Don't think about this as some kind of opportunity to rack up more debt," he said.