Despite being constantly cold, no matter how many layers of thermals I invest in, I’m a fan of winter. Please don’t throw the paper across the room, especially if you went a week without heat and electricity after storm Éowyn.

Usually, I love the cosy weekends of winter – cuddling on the couch under my Avoca blanket, the fire crackling and a curry bubbling on the hob.

But last Saturday, I had enough. Enough of healthy dinners being thrown on the floor by the kids. Enough of Peppa Pig on repeat. Enough of unloading the dishwasher for what felt like the millionth time. Although it was a miserable evening, I had to get out before I went stir crazy. I had hit my ‘enough’ limit.

My gift to me

So my husband’s Valentine’s gift was a night to myself. That might not sound very romantic, but there wasn’t a babysitter in sight, and I might have grumbled a bit too loud about his day out with the lads watching the rugby.

You may have picked up at this point that the old form wasn’t great, and I wasn’t in the mood for chats. So I booked the last ticket I could find for the evening viewing of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. I’ll be honest, the seat was shocking – front row, restricted view, but it was one of those fancy cinemas where you can have a glass of wine with your popcorn on a big, comfy armchair, so I took what I could get.

That’s the thing about the cinema, the funny parts seem even funnier when those around you are laughing, the poignant parts are all the more touching, and at a particularly sad part, I heard the girl behind me having a good cry, and so I didn’t feel quite so silly shedding a tear or two

As I got myself comfortable, I had a look around. There was a token man or two in the cinema, perhaps to appease their other half on Valentine’s weekend. But other than that, it was a girls’ night out. And then like an old friend, Bridget made her appearance in her signature pyjamas, and I might also add, she had Athlone-based skincare range deDANÚ sitting on her bedside locker. Anyway, with that, the laughs started, and they kept going for the next two hours.

That’s the thing about the cinema, the funny parts seem even funnier when those around you are laughing, the poignant parts are all the more touching, and at a particularly sad part, I heard the girl behind me having a good cry, and so I didn’t feel quite so silly shedding a tear or two.

Even though there are hundreds of films available on the many streaming services, nothing replaces the big screen, and the sense of community in watching a film together. There really is magic in the movies.

So I had a great night out with the girls – I didn’t have to dress up or try to have a conversation in a loud bar, and I was home by 9pm.

“You’re in great form,” himself observed, when I got in the door. And I was. You know, I was a bit self-conscious going to the cinema on my own but actually, it felt liberating to enjoy my own company and get out of my head.

Sometimes changing up your routine and having a bit of time to yourself can break that bad mood. With a few more weeks of winter left, perhaps give it go.