I KNOW it’s only November, but let’s face it - the festive season has arrived whether we like it or not.

The John Lewis TV adverts have been unleashed and most town centres will be switching on their Christmas lights imminently. So instead of moaning about it, why not take the initiative and celebrate Christmas on your own terms.

The young family and I did just that and made a November pilgrimage to Santa’s Christmas Wonderland at Paultons Park. Having previously spent a glorious summer’s day at the Hampshire-based family theme park this year, expectations were high from my Peppa Pig loving daughter.

Thankfully the rain clouds stayed away as we arrived and even luckier we found it much quieter than normal with barely a queue as we collected our tickets and were greeted at the theme park entrance by a couple of cheery elves.

Once inside, it was less about the rush to see Grandpa Pig’s Little Train and more about a visit to Santa. With an allotted time in the grotto, families first wait in a warmed tent before gently making their way into the Wonderland itself.

Cuddly animatronic figures line the winding path and music is played as you wait. A clever idea, as our two-year-old was kept entertained and excited as we neared the grotto.

Meeting Santa itself was a joy and we were impressed with his ability to be jolly and tactful when arranging a family photo-shoot. The age-appropriate gift was also a nice touch and the Play-Doh came in handy for the car ride home.

After a chat, hug, a present and several snaps it was time to leave Santa to his next lucky children and into the theme park for some fun on the rides. As it is now winter most of the water rides were closed, but there were quite a few of the rollercoaster variety still open for thrill seekers.

However, we were only ever going to spend the majority of our time in Peppa Pig World. This is definitely a great time of year to come with much reduced queues meaning we were able to enjoy all the rides we wanted.

A real novelty for adults who’ve been here in the summer holidays, with no more than a 10-minute wait for theme park favourites such as George’s Dinosaur Adventure, Peppa’s Big Balloon Ride and Daddy’s Big Car Ride.

With early evenings drawing in, twinkling Christmas fairy lights illuminate the park and the spectacle of Peppa’s Christmas Tree is something to see. So yes, we started Christmas early this year and we haven’t looked back since.

n Santa’s Christmas Wonderland runs now at selected dates until Tuesday, December 23 at Paultons Park. For more information please visit paultonspark.co.uk Patrick Gough