If you can’t get to the actual North Pole, then the next best place to meet Santa is at the ‘Legoland at Christmas’ experience, writes Aamina Zafar.

The celebrations, which kicked off on Saturday, allows families to build precious festive memories to last a lifetime.

I recently visited the theme park in Windsor with my five-year-old son Ibrahim to experience the magic first hand. Having made a trip to Legoland last year, I wondered if organisers could top what was a fantastic day out. To my surprise, it was even better.

Our day began when we stepped foot inside the theme park and were greeted by a giant Lego sleigh, complete with Father Christmas and his eight life-sized reindeers. The impressive 15m long model was built from 700,000 Lego bricks and is said to weigh 2,500kg – the equivalent of 5,000 Christmas puddings.

We were blown away by the transformation of the park into mini-Lapland, complete with countless Christmas trees, snow, twinkling lights and babbles. There is even a giant Christmas tree in the middle, of course made entirely of Lego. The scent of biscuits and hot coffee also lingered in the air, enticing grown-ups to claim a free hot drink and biscuit.

Festive attractions include the scavenger hunt, a Lego snowflake building station and an opportunity to meet Ollie the Dragon. Meeting Santa however, is without doubt the star attraction.

The magic begins as an elf guides families through a winding maze of Christmas trees that have been dusted with fake snow. As we walked through, the wind blew flakes off the trees and through the air.

Our friendly elf even sang Christmas songs along the way, which meant my son’s excitement levels were sky high. Once inside the log cabin, we received such a warm welcome from Santa, which instantly put my son at ease.

For about ten minutes they chatted, Santa kind and knowing how to engage children that might be shy or overwhelmed at the thought of meeting such an icon. The log cabin had all the quintessential markings of a cosy Artic home, complete with a warming fireplace, stockings, Christmas tree and even a picture of a Lego Santa hanging on the wall.

When we finally waved goodbye my son had a massive grin on his face and a generous box of Lego. The experience was truly wonderful.

Tickets for the ‘Legoland at Christmas’ experience cost £35 per person. It runs each weekend until Christmas Day. Log on www.legoland.co.uk for more information.