It is the first week of December and already the mountain of festive life admin is threatening to tip midlife women over the edge. Being in the sandwich generation (those of us looking after kids and older relatives) brings unique pressures which can sometimes take the sparkle off what we are told should be the most wonderful time of the year.

The fine balance between managing logistics of looking after elderly parents while keeping the magic alive for the children, alongside juggling work Christmas parties and school carol concerts, can cause such overwhelm that a Baileys at 9am to take the edge off the stress suddenly feels outrageously appealing.

I, for one, have been waking up at 5am wondering how I am going to make sure I see all the generations of my family up and down the coun

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