"Sleigh bells ring...are you listening?"
Even though I visited Winter Wonderland in November, I held off posting this until December 1st, because I have self control.
Who am I kidding? I've been itching to write this post ever since I got back from Hyde Park. Prepare yourself, there are pictures galore, so you may want to grab a hot chocolate.
If you're not from England, or aren't aware of the national phenomenon that is Winter Wonderland, then it's basically a big old funfair in the middle of Hyde Park in London, with added stalls, bearing all manners of sparkling candy and handcrafted goods.
We went up to London on what was probably one of the dreariest days of November, which didn't add too much Christmas spirit. But the rows of wooden huts adorned with garlands did attempt to make up for it.
The phone box Christmas decoration was my favourite, but rocking in at a whopping £15 I couldn't really justify it.
We also arrived early, around 10am, which meant the whole place was pretty much dead to the world. This wasn't so good for atmosphere, but perfect for taking outfit photos.
My new parka is pretty much the star of the show. Completely lined with sheepskin and with the fluffiest hood even an eskimo would be jealous of, it's the perfect Winter coat. Plus it pulls in at the waist, which means I don't look like a walking bean bag.
Parka - Miss Selfridge || Hat, Scarf & Gloves - Lipsy || Bag - Michael Kors || Boots - totally forgot where these are from but similar here.
We continued to stroll through the streets, attempting to make the most of the grey skies.
I also picked up what can now be named as the worst hot chocolate of my life. Looked pretty in a picture, but what I was given was essentially warm milk with about half a teaspoon of chocolate powder in it (if that!). The best bit was the flake and whipped cream. It was definitely not worth the £3.30 we paid.
The candy stalls are glorious on the eye, though.
Pounds of fudge chopped into delectable squares and begging to be taken home.
I'm going to be honest and say that at this point, I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't sure what I was expecting from Winter Wonderland. I knew it was going to be overpriced and I knew it would be technically just rides and stalls, but the market consisted of essentially the same six shops repeated over and over. And I don't mind paying a bit more because of where I am, but only when the food or drink is good.
I'm now going to admit something that I never thought I'd say.
I began to wish that we'd gone when there had been more people.
I'm a bit of a lone ranger and I love experiencing things all by myself so I can absorb it all without the persistent shoving and annoyances of mass crowds.
We returned after afternoon tea and walked back through the event towards the car park, and I'm so glad we did.
Lit up in the late afternoon darkness, the miserable empty place we had visited earlier was utterly transformed. The place was bustling with people and Christmas cheer was definitely in the air.
I would happily stick my entire face in these.
The skyline was illuminated by the arch of the Ferris wheel, and the crowds which I thought I'd hate made me smile.
Do you wanna build a snowman?
I could tell he liked warm hugs.
As we headed to the car, I felt full of festive joy and I was so happy that we decided to walk back through the event. The morning is definitely not the right time of day to visit this, as the lights and the people really do make it something special.
Winter Wonderland is running all the way until the 4th of January, so hitch up a sleigh and get yourself to London!
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