Geoffrey Hedge offers some great ideas for seasonal fun for all the family in Oxfordshire and beyond.

There is no need to take a long trip out to the North Pole to see Santa this year as the man in red will be out and about throughout Oxfordshire in the run-up to the festive season.

The young and young at heart can enjoy a family day out at a theme park, restored railway, wildlife park, stately home or historic castle.

Didcot Railway Centre (01235 817200) is running Father Christmas / Day Out with Thomas Steamdays at weekends between December 5 and 20, and from December 22 and 23.

A few miles away, the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway (01491 835067) is running steam hauled Santa Specials on December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20. The trains will be hauled by Furness Railway Trust’s 0-6-0 locomotive.

There are also Santa steamings at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre (01296 655720) Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway (01844 353535) and the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway (01242 621405) during November and December.

Santa is also in his Grotto at the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford, every weekend in December and daily from December 19 to 24, from 11am to 3pm.

The park is also running a Christmas Train so all the family can take a festive ride through the Enchanted Tunnel. Festive animal feeding events will also take place during the Christmas season.

For more details, call 01993 823006 or visit the website: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

Yuletide visitors to Gulliver’s Land at Milton Keynes will find a multitude of festive treats, including Santa’s winter wonderland which is lined with talking trees.

Youngster can join in Gilly’s Christmas singalong, or watch the Christmas Hard Luck Bear Show.

As the light fades, the tree lighting ceremony takes place, followed by Gulliver’s Christmas pantomime Gillyrella.

Selected rides will be open during the Christmas season which runs to December 23.

For more details, call 01925 444888, or visit the website: www.gulliversfun.co.uk

This year one of the UK’s top drive-through safari parks is opening its reserves in the run up to Christmas.

The West Midland Safari Park (01299 400700), Bewdley, Worcestershire, will be open from 10am between December 1 and December 24.

As well as the four-mile safari drive, the park will have a Christmas sea lion show, reindeer and Santa’s Grotto. For more details, visit the website: www.wmsp.co.uk

Closer to home, Father Christmas will be arriving by helicopter at Yarnton Nurseries on Saturday, November 28 at 2pm. He will be in his grotto every Saturday and Sunday until Christmas.

Admission is free but you can make a donation to Helen and Douglas House if you wish.

Everyone is invited to the Christmas Flower Week at Wyevale Bicester Garden Centre on Oxford Road from December 14 to 18.

Staff from Florista, the floristry department will help people make their own festive floral decorations. The workshops will take place every day during the week from 3pm until 5pm.

Tickets cost £25 per person per session and will need to be bought before the event. Call 01869 242 248 or visit www.bicestergardencentre.co.uk

In Gloucestershire, the massive trees at the Forestry Commissions’ Westonbirt Arboretum are being decked out with thousands of festive lights so that visitors can take a magical stroll along an illuminated trail.

Enchanted Evenings will be held on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 27 to December 20.

For further information, visit the website: www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt

Among the many events at Warwick Castle which run from December 12 to January 3, are Breakfast with Santa and the Great Brussel Sprout Eating Contest.

The perfect way to see the castle is by taking a horse and carriage ride, while the youngsters will love Story Time with the Fairy Godmother.

Scrooges are invited to escape the festive cheer and witness medieval misery in the Castle Dungeon where Christmas is banned.

And do not miss out on the festive fun in the Princess Tower where you can help Princess Arabella plan for her fairytale winter wedding and make your own festive addition to the book of wishes.

For more details, call 0870 442 2000, or visit: www.warwick-castle.com

Winter Wonderland returns to Hyde Park, London, for six weeks from November 21.

The event features London’s largest Ice Rink, and a 50m Observation Wheel, with 40 heated pods offering truly spectacular views across the city.

Winter Wonderland also boasts a German Christmas Market with more than 60 Tyrolean-style chalets selling unique gifts, overlooked by central London’s only Rollercoaster. Visitors can enjoy Zippo’s Christmas Circus in a heated big top.

For more details, visit the website: www.hydeparkwinterwonderlandepk.co.uk

Looking ahead to next year, the world’s skating spectacular, Holiday on Ice, returns to the UK with its Spirit production.

It opens at the Brighton Centre, Sussex, on January 7, but will be at the LG Arena, Birmingham from February 25 to 28.

An exhilarating fusion of fire, air, earth and water, the show offers entertainment for all ages, with international, skaters, dramatic scenes and creative lighting.

To book, call the box office on 0800 358 0058.