There’s lots of things that excite me for the start of Christmas.

The enchanting smell of gingerbread lattes, mulled wine, Christmas hits playing in the local supermarkets, advent calendars, Camembert and the John Lewis advert that pulls at my heart strings EVERY year.

But this year, my Christmas merriment began on my visit to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.

I visited the Hyde Park attraction on Saturday with my partner.

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We had a great time- with lots of laughter and plenty of food.

But I must admit, it was very, very cold.

Just like any standard December day in the UK.

The last time I visited Winter Wonderland was over five years ago – and it seemed to have tripled in size.

The sound of Shakin’ Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone was playing as we entered, and crowds of people followed behind.

The attraction was instantly breath taking.

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Colours and lights beamed off the rides and the smell of Churros was looming in the air.

It only seemed right to begin our day in the Bavarian Village with a delicious bratwurst hotdog- that cost nearly a month’s rent.

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The cheering and shouting from ride go-ers was like music to my ears.

It felt good to be back enjoying the Christmas festivities, especially as last years celebrations were pretty much cancelled.

We went on two rides during our visit- The Haunted Mansion and Snow Jet.

One was full of spooky(ish) silicone monsters – the type you would expect for a traditional haunted house.

The other; Snow Jet, was a ride that was shaped like a bullet and soared as fast as a bullet.

Both rides were completely opposite to one another, but both packed with adrenaline.

We soon caught on that our visit wasn’t going to be the cheapest- as we paid for the rides separately and drinks were more than a tenner each time.

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But it was Winter Wonderland- we came prepared with a costly budget.

We made regular pit stops at different bars across the attraction.

My favourite, though, was the circus themed bar.

It was warm, bright and lively- full of happy people and great music.

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As the day turned to dawn, the attraction lights became even more endearing.

It felt magical and I wanted to stay in the wonderland forever.

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We ended our visit at the fire pit- a place where live singers were performing and there was an immense bonfire.

It was great soaking up the warmth from the fire after an exciting yet freezing day of fun.

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As we were leaving Winter Wonderland- five hours after we arrived, I took in the wonderful surroundings and said a silent good-bye to the Hyde Park utopia.

Winter Wonderland 2021 was an amazing experience that I’ll hold close to my heart.

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See you next year Hyde Park- with extra money and an extra quilted coat.