There is nothing better on a cold winter's night than hatching down by the fire and reading. It is especially good if:
a. there are no distractions i.e. all children are tucked up asleep
b. you have a (large) glass of red wine beside you
c. someone has thoughtfully filled the log basket -you merely have to stretch (a little) to throw another log on the fire
d. you have some well chosen, possibly even seasonal reading matter. Oh, I do like a book with a house plan! This one involves a country house party (tick), relatives with motives (tick), Santa Klaus (tick) and murder...
e. after a decent interval someone arrives bearing a tray laden with tea/chocolate or port/cheese
