The gifts are unwrapped, the baked goodies are eaten, the New Year is rung in and the decorations are starting to be taken down.

That means millions of Americans are finding themselves facing a heaping pile of credit card debt.

Many Suffolk residents, too, could be about to open their latest credit card statement, the awful hangover of the plastic-happy shopping habits of November and December.

However, financial experts say a focused intensity on paying off the credit cards will help keep the debt from sticking around until next Christmas comes.

According to financial writer and radio show host Dave Ramsey, folks who have a lot of credit card debt can tackle it through four steps.

First, people should stop adding to their debt. This only makes it harder to pay off.

“Draw a line in the sand and say, ‘No more credit card debt,’” Ramsey said in a list of tips emailed by his vice president of public relations, Beth Tallent. “Otherwise, you’ll keep adding to it and never make any headway.

The second step is to determine how much money you can afford to use for debt payments.

“Do a budget,” Ramsey says. “Most people have no idea where their money is going. A budget tells your money what to do.”

The third step is to begin paying off the debt. Minimum payments should be made on all the cards, while the debtor focuses on paying off one at a time with all the money that’s left.

Some advisors recommend starting with the highest-interest card. Ramsey, however, recommends beginning with the one that has the smallest balance, believing that seeing one or two debts paid off quickly will motivate the debtor to continue paying off the rest.

“Paying the smallest ones first gives you the motivation to work through the larger ones,” Ramsey says.

Finally, Ramsey recommends taking extreme measures if you have lots of debt. This can mean selling unneeded things or getting a part-time job.

“Be focused and intense and knock the debt out as fast as possible,” Ramsey said.

As an added piece of advice, Ramsey recommends using cash to purchase next year’s gifts.