Jimmy Bullard is nearing his much-anticipated comeback at Fulham.
Bullard has not played for the Cottagers since sustaining knee ligament damage in September last year.
"Jimmy had begun doing some work on the training pitch with the under-18s," said Palmer. "He will progress over the next few weeks to reserve training sessions before moving on to full training with the first team.
"Depending on how he progresses and responds, the time frame we are looking at is between four to eight weeks."
Winger Lee Cook could also complete rehabilitation from his knee injury in time for the busy festive schedule.
Cook has yet to make an appearance for Fulham since his summer arrival from QPR but Palmer insists the end of the year is a realistic target for his comeback.
"Lee is improving. He turned a corner over the last two weeks," he said.
"He still has around four to six weeks ahead of him before he can get back into good, constructive work but he is certainly moving in the right direction."
