One piece of advice I would give to a new mother, is make sure you have a close network of “mummy” friends to socialise with. I met my friends through our local NCT group, through local government groups, church groups, and in the library. They are my counsellors, my support network, my backup for emergency childcare. And last weekend, we had our annual Christmas day out, without children.

It was fabulous! We walked slowly around the Chester Christmas Market, enjoyed a cup of mulled wine, took in the scenery, and finished a conversation. We had lots of conversations to finish! We did a bit of shopping, and we spent the afternoon and evening in city centre cocktail bars, feeling relaxed and revived. It was the best form of therapy for us all, I think, since we are so busy being mother, wife, carer, nurse, employee and more, every day. The market was beautiful, and because it had just started, we found that it wasn’t too crowded, which was ideal for a group of women that have become used to living in a small, rural town.

Do you plan to visit a local Christmas Market this year? Which is your favourite destination?

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