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 (28^th November –  15^th 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, 2024 marks its 22nd birthday. And for another, of course, 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 a 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.