Bring Christmas in early with the family at Disneyland Paris

Leaving central London in mid-November and arriving less than three hours later in a land where Christmas is already in full swing is initially a bit of a shock to the system.

But it's Christmas every day in Disneyland Paris between now and the end of the year as we found out during a recent visit to experience the Enchanted Christmas celebrations.

Not only were the giant parks full of attractions decked out in decorations, but the characters were also in full-on festive mode.

Anyone who has visited Disneyland before will already be familiar with the daily parades that are a feature of the parks. Refreshingly though, it's not all about those classic characters we know and love as this year's parade is brought bang up to date with the heroines of the brand new film 'Frozen'.

An additional midday Christmas Cavalcade sees Santa and his elves take centre-stage alongside Mickey and Minnie in matching fur-trimmed festive gear - obviously.

However, it's at the evening Magical Christmas Wishes tree lighting ceremony (with a tree that would put any town centre to shame) when the festive cheer really kicks in with music, lights and even snow that are straight out of a movie set.

If you're planning a trip, do bring your winter wardrobe as many of the events are open-air and the weather is very changeable.

Of course, it's not all about Christmas. Both Bah-humbuggers and thrillseekers will find plenty to entertain with the likes of the Tower Of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Crush's Coaster and the RC Racer, that's definitely not for the faint-hearted.

The undisputed highlight, however, is the spectacular Disney Dreams Of Christmas evening show that sees massive projections stunningly transforming the Sleeping Beauty Castle at the centre of the park with a dazzling display that includes an exclusive version of the Nutcracker featuring the characters from 'Toy Story'.

The evening ends with a jaw-dropping firework and fountain show and a sea of Mickey ears all flashing in time. A light sprinkling of 'snow' is the er, icing on the (Christmas) cake.

Disney's Enchanted Christmas prices for a two-night three-day package including return travel with Eurostar in December 2013 start from £1,205.20 for a family of two adults and two children (aged 4-6yrs). For more information call 08448 008 111 or visit www.disneylandparis.co.uk