Christmas in England: Top places to get into the festive spirit

With visits to Santa's grotto, evenings filled with spellbinding festive ballet and fun days out to meet cute reindeer, the run-up to Christmas is as exciting as the big day itself - and England is certainly the place to indulge in the holiday cheer this year.

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Thanks to thickly frosted branches, rousing carols and red-breasted robins, England is transformed into a magical winter wonderland at Christmas, where stately homes and their grounds, steam railways and sprawling parks open up with an array of events and experiences.

For little ones, you can visit England's largest working reindeer herd in Staffordshire, where you can feed and fuss over 100 reindeer before enjoying a sleigh ride.

Couples can take a romantic stroll through Norwich's Tunnel of Lights, featuring a wonderland display made from 50,000 pulsating LEDs which was inspired by a theme park in Japan.

And the whole family will love Blenheim Palace's transformation into a Christmas trail, which includes scented fire gardens, singing Christmas trees and a lake aglow with brightly lit boats filled with snowflakes and presents.

See some of the best places to get into the Christmas spirit in England this winter...