Curling up by the fire with a book, or buying presents for someone who will be? We reckon you'll want these necessary ingredients to a successful evening next to the fireplace.
1. A lovely book. Blue Whale has an inventory of books that you wouldn't believe. We picked one about Jefferson given the whole Charlottesville and Monticello thing.
2. To read that book, or any book for that matter, you have to have somewhere to sit. Enter a classic wingback chair from The Artful Lodger. Chairs are great because not all of us have dogs that serve as pillows.
3. No evening with a book is complete without a bit of a snack. For us that means homegrown Virginia jam from Arsenic and Old Lace, jasmine tea from The Rocky Wren, and a teapot to serve that jasmine tea made by local potter Nan Rothwell. It's true we are missing biscuits, but perhaps that means we need a list for making biscuits, because we don't know where to buy them.
What else makes a good evening by the fire? Leave us a comment!