Much as plenty of towns and cities will vie for your festive attention, Bath has so many advantages, both natural and by design, it hardly seems like a fair fight. Compact and easy on the feet, speckled with greens and squares, honey-coloured and often cobbled, it’s home both to an independent spirit and an architecture that’s a grandiose throwback to a time when you definitely judged a book by its cover (and the cover was FABULOUS).

And while all of this is true all year round, just imagine what happens when you factor in winter mists, the soft orange glow of lights at dusk, the aroma of red wine warmed and suffused with cinnamon and nutmeg, and over 150 Christmas Market chalets, all of a shimmer, selling stylish homeware, handmade jewellery, personalised presents and everything else fashioned by some of the southwest’s – and the country’s – finest crafters.

The market (24th November – 11th December) might be an annual treat for the senses, but this year in particular there’s no chance we take it for granted. For one thing, 2022 marks its 20^th birthday. And for another, of course, it’s the first to be held since the pandemic made us stay at home and merely dream of such giddy treats as public mooching, browsing, ambling, eating, drinking and shopping.

The one-off independence of those selling at the market matches Bath’s spirit beautifully. Its year-round shops are a valuable reminder that the chainification of our cities needn’t be inevitable. To walk around Bath is to be exposed to any number of indie and designer boutiques, bookshops, bakeries and the like: not just testament to a thriving, go-your-own-way mindset, but a brilliant opportunity to buy beautiful Christmas gifts you won’t find anywhere else.

And of course, because there’s a lot more to Christmas, and to life, than shopping, so there’s a lot more to the city too, whether it’s the variety of shows at The Forum, the Theatre Royal’s typically rich blend of crowd-pleasing music, drama, panto and family fun, the plushness, lushness, amazing design, plus food and drink (and of course films) at The Tivoli, Comedy at Komedia, exhibits at The Fashion Museum, or any one of its wide range of other galleries and museums.

Biased as we are, we can’t help but point out exactly how well placed we are at The Queensberry Hotel to add to your enjoyment of this festive fantasia. We’re an easy short walk to the heart of it all, but just far enough away to represent an oasis of calm away from the hubbub. The cocooning comfort of our lovely rooms is an ideal environment in which to rest and recuperate in between sallies into the city. And our award-winning, Michelin-starred Olive Tree restaurant and our Old Q Bar will reward you with a quality of food, drink and service unmatched by anywhere in what is, admittedly, a city boasting many fine pubs, bars and restaurants.

And just imagine, at the end of one of those deliciously demanding, idle-but-tiring kind of days in our wonderful city, collapsing into one of our sumptuously comfortable beds to gather yourself either for next day’s journey home or, dare we say it, a second foray into the magic of Bath?

Why not make a promise to do something lovely for yourself this Christmas?

And why not keep it?