I got my first taste of Christmas by visiting the new Hull Tipi

As the song goes - It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Christmas prep is well underway, with just a few weeks until the big day. Along with all the presents and decorations, Christmas Markets are becoming something as synonymous with winter as snow. And a new Christmas Tipi has opened in Hull city centre.

In a bid to shift the SAD into some festive spirit, I headed over there to see if it would bring me festive joy.

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To be honest, I think Christmas markets are generally vastly overrated, and a festive tipi is a bit more me. Rather than being dragged around overcrowded markets, I'd much rather put my feet up with a mulled wine - that's how I get into the Christmas spirit in my mid-20s.

Walking towards the tent on a pretty bleak afternoon, the glow of the fire pit and surrounding fairy lights guided me in. The heat blasted me upon walking in as I heard my first Christmas song of the year—Fairytale of New York. In my opinion, it's the best one, although it still feels slightly sinful to be playing it mid-November.

I was pretty surprised at the tent's size, especially compared to the Summer Tipi, which the same organisers had throughout the warmer months. With the more drawn-in nights, the once-open tent became fully covered to protect it from the winter chill—and in fact, it was actually really warm and cosy inside.

The menu has a mix of hot and cold drinks, as well as themed Christmas snacks. There is mulled cider, and different flavours of hot chocolate. A Kinder Bueno one was tempting, and there was a good choice of draft beer and cocktails. However - I was only after one thing in a Christmas Tipi.

I paid a little under a fiver for a mulled wine, which, in fairness, would set you back more in Manchester or York. It was my first of the season - and it was top notch.

Understandably, the majority of the crowd sat around the pit, nurturing a hot chocolate—with the cream and marshmallows brimming over the top in the ultimate festive scene.

Going through the musical classics, Driving Home For Christmas, Shakin' Stevens and so on while surrounded by the greenery and lighting ready for Christmas, was undoubtedly one way to get me into a bit of a festive mood for the first time this year, but the mulled wine was the icing on the cake. And as darkness fell, the tent looked even better as the fairy lights and fire illuminated not just the tent, but the surrounding area as well.

The HullTipi opened on November 7, and prep is underway for the Beverley Tipi to open on November 21.