Train companies have shared the dates passengers can bag the cheapest tickets for trains home for Christmas this year.
While Chris Rea may have cemented the festive drive home in popular culture, for many trundling along the tracks towards their kin is a bigger part of the yearly ritual.
With demand for space on trains at close to its yearly highest during the days leading up to Christmas, booking as early as possible is crucial so you don't get stung by demand driven pricing.
Late ticket-buying Brits face losing £43million this Christmas by missing out on advance ticket deals and buying on the day, Trainline has calculated.
So you don't lose out, we asked all the UK's train companies when their advance tickets for the Christmas period go on sale.
The sooner you buy them after release, the cheaper tickets should be.
LNER
LNER will place hundreds of thousands of tickets on sale for the Christmas and New Year period from Tuesday 8 November 2022.
The tickets will be available for dates between Wednesday 21 December 2022 and Friday 6 January 2023., covering LNER services for the full East Coast route.
Avanti West Coast
Advance tickets are available for travel dates up until 24 December, as well as Thursday 29 and Friday 30 December.
Tickets for Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 December are expected to be available at the very soon once the timetable is confirmed.
There are no Avanti West Coast services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Avanti West Coast says it has removed Peak restrictions between 23 December until 7 January to enable customers to travel flexibly.
Scotsrail
Advance Single tickets are available to buy online or from a ticket office around twelve weeks before travel, meaning Christmas tickets can be booked now.
Chiltern Railways
For journeys between December 13 and December 23, advance tickets should be available by Thursday 10 November.
For journeys between December 24 and January 1, details of advance tickets will be on the company's website within the coming days.
West Midlands Trains
Advance fares are currently on sale up to 30 December for Monday-Friday tickets and up to 27 November for Saturday-Sunday tickets.
East Midlands Railsways
All Christmas tickets are on sale now.
GWR
All Christmas tickets are on sale now.
Southern
Weekday tickets up to 23 December, and weekend tickets up to 11 December are now on sale.
There are no trains running from 26 December up to and including Monday 2 January due to the nine-day piece of engineering work that will close London Victoria.
There are advance tickets available on weekdays from Tuesday 3 January until Friday 13 January.
Thameslink
Weekday tickets up to 23 December, and weekend tickets up to 11 December are now on sale.
It is expected that there will be some engineering work between 26 December and Monday 2 January.
Confirmation of this will determine whether any advance tickets will be released during this period.
There are advance tickets available on weekdays from Tuesday 3 January until Friday 13 January.
Lumo
Christmas Eve and post-Christmas tickets are now on sale yet, and won't be until engineering plans have been confirmed.
For December, passengers can currently bag journeys from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley for £31.90.
Greater Anglia
Customers can now book tickets for travel over the Christmas and New Year period until 6 January.
"We have a range of Advance fares that offer customers savings of between 60-70% on the standard walk up prices, plus 2FOR1 on entry to many top attractions in London and East Anglia," a spokesperson for the company said.
Some engineering works are expected on the lines during the Christmas period, so check before you travel.
