I went to Yuletide glittering light trail where 'seeing really is believing'

Christmas, for me, is a feeling. It's about joy and warmth and bright-eyed wonder. Even more so as my children have grown older. There's still a place for blaring pop songs, Santa's grottos and elf toy shops but these aren't the festive activities that call to my soul any more.

Perhaps it's an almost Dickensian desire to seek out the bigger truth behind all the merriment, or just a sense of capturing the gorgeous changing of the seasons and all that that entails. So, I was in my element - my whole family were - to visit Yuletide at Tatton Park Gardens in Knutsford this weekend.

This is a Christmas event with a difference. Totally unique, as far as I'm concerned and - as parenting editor I've visited many - there is no grotto, rides, elves or snow. Instead, there's stardust, glittering lights, winter creatures in the woods, storytelling and magical music transporting you to far-off lands.

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I encourage you to go, suspend your disbelief at the gate, barely speak, and just immerse yourself in the wonders inside. You can wander down a rainbow walkway, play hide and seek with mischievous goblins cackling in the trees, marvel at a shy arctic fox leaping and bounding through the night sky and be dazzled by three sparkling unicorns stood proud in a clearing.

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The gardens are magnificent and the organisers - Wild Rumpus (the wonderful people behind the Just So and Timber Festival) - have really embraced their beauty, lighting the Japanese garden by flickering candlelight and illuminating the bridges and steps. We loved the Stardust sign and the moons and stars that lit the trail, especially as the moon himself appeared from behind the clouds right as we were walking along this stretch, adding to the magic of the moment.

It's the enchanting music that does it for me, helping you to feel as though you've been whisked away to another world of light, stars, darkness, puppets and fairy dust. Seeing - and hearing - really is believing here.

There's more to this event than just the light trail. You can feel the whoosh and the heat of the flames as fire jugglers brave great feats to rousing music then dance the night away in a rainbow-dressed marquee to Cossack-style live folk music before going on the old-fashioned merry-go-round.

A highlight for us were the delicious hot chocolates, made from real chocolate - you can choose between milk, white or 70% dark (we went for the latter) with added caramel, hazelnut, orange and Baileys and topped with whipped cream.

And toasting giant marshmallows over the fire is a must. There's a sense of tradition here, of children being able to enjoy festivities families loved years ago without the need for fire marshals and health and safety cordons. I'm sure they're there but you can't see them and it all feels very wholesome and lovely. There's no queuing, no rushing to line up to see something along with scores of others. It feels as though, for a couple of hours, that the magic of the gardens has been laid on just for you and you alone. This is a lovely place to go, even without children in tow, and that's quite rare for a festive attraction.

We rounded off our evening the way that all evenings should be rounded off, in my opinion, with a bit of good old-fashioned storytelling. Sat in a circle around the Magic Lantern gypsy caravan, Ian Douglas shared tales of how the robin got his red breast and how a big white bear helped free a family from the clutches of the boggles (dark fairies). With a ukulele, he sang the song of the Owl and the Pussycat whilst his partner animated the stories and songs with shadow puppets from inside the Magic Lantern.

Good storytelling takes you away from the whirr of to-do lists spinning round your mind. For that moment, you think of nothing but the story being shared before you. And that's what sums up Yuletide. It transports you from your every day, immersing you in a Christmas time of folklore with plenty of hygge thrown in for good measure.

As we drove out of Tatton Park with dreamy smiles on our faces and bellies full of chocolate and marshmallows, herds of deer - some with huge antlers - stood majestically watching us on our way. We loved every minute of this glittering adventure and can't wait to return next year.

Yuletide runs from now to December 23, find out more and book tickets via the Yuletide website.

How to get to Tatton Park Gardens from Birmingham

Use the postcode WA16 6SG in your sat nav to enter the park via the Rostherne entrance. Parking is free. It takes around an hour and a quarter to drive to Tatton Park Gardens from Birmingham, traffic permitting, via the M6.

Alternatively, you can catch a train from Birmingham New Street Station to Knutsford, switching at Manchester Piccadilly. The gardens are just half a mile from the station.