If you’re near Hyde Park in the winter, a visit to Winter Wonderland is a must. Ingla isn’t anywhere near West London, but we’ve still made this illuminated festival an annual tradition.

Too nostalgic and saccharine? Yeah, just a bit, but Christmas is the time of year to get a little too sentimental. Anyway, as I was saying, Winter Wonderland has something for everyone – the elderly and grouchy can get as much out of this once a year party, as the most bright-eyed, little tyke.

Chill is the operative word. Being outdoors in December means that Winter Wonderland is only for the brave and hearty who are willing to bear near zero temperatures while enjoying their holiday fun.

It helped that at the end of this rainbow there was a nice, warm pub waiting for our teachers and students to have a well-earned pint and a chat. A very authentic way to ring in the Christmas season, and a very authentic way for Ingla’s students to practise English.

Winter Wonderland is the kind of place that feeds this imagination, and brings you back to the warm, cosy days when you were a child drinking hot chocolate by an open fire waiting for Santa Claus to shuffle down the chimney with a sack full of gifts and singe his red boots on the red-hot flames.

There’s an ice-skating rink to show off your blades of fire, fun fair rides to test your mettle, games of skill and chance that give you the opportunity to bring home a stuffed animal twice your size, and, if that’s all a bit much for you, an authentic Bavarian village with live music and an endless supply of beer to sit and chill out for a bit.

Thankfully Inglans are a brave and hearty bunch who not only go the extra mile to learn English, but also sacrifice their fingertips and toes to alleviate the winter blues. This year’s crew from Ingla went prepared with extra layers and a bit of extra cash to enjoy Winter Wonderland to the fullest.