Confound those fools who don't believe in Father Christmas, by catching sight of the big man on his regular trips to the Gardens.  Santa visits daily at 1pm and 4pm, to feed his reindeer and collect his mail - bring a letter to post beforehand, and you'll see him pick it up from his special post box.

But even when the man himself isn't in attendance, you can sneak a peek at Rudolph and friends. We all know they've flown in from Lapland... but the cover story's that they're visiting from the Cairngorms, the Scottish mountain range which is home to Britain's only wild reindeer herd.

At weekends, Santa's Lappish village magically appears too; we're promised free entertainment from the much-respected Scottish Storytelling Centre, and Christmas-themed craft sessions for £3. Santa's "Igloo Cafe" will be open daily within the novelty village.

If you're timing your visit to catch Santa himself, do note that his base is a bit away from the rest of the Christmas attractions: it's at the west end of Princes Street near the (utterly unmissable) fountain.  It will take 10 to 15 minutes to walk there through the gardens, starting from the main Christmas fair.

Remember - your last chance to see Father Christmas is on 23 December. He's busy elsewhere on Christmas Eve!