The Christmas Home Café

I want that feeling of being in a little cocoon of Christmas. The music, the candles and something nice in a mug all contribute to it. None of those things needs to be complicated to be enjoyable.

Choose somewhere you will want to stay for a while. Make room for a cup and a small plate, then bring whatever you would like to do: a book, a puzzle or something to make. A table is useful if one of you needs space for small pieces; a comfortable seat and a steady surface for your drink are enough if you are reading.

For me, the atmosphere is the part worth paying attention to before the coffee is ready. Once the record is playing and the drinks are made, I want to sit down and enjoy it.

Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé are two of my favourite artists to put on at Christmas. Their Christmas records are the ones I think of as real evergreen favourites: music I am delighted to hear again.

We have quite a collection of Christmas vinyl. Nearly every year, Bas gives me a new Christmas record, so there is often something else to add to the rotation. That is a lovely little tradition in itself — a gift that becomes part of how the house feels in December.

If you have a record player, choose an album you genuinely enjoy and let it accompany the afternoon. If you use a speaker instead, your favourite Christmas music works just as well. Keep it at a level where you can read, concentrate on whatever you are making and talk when you feel like it.

I am not prescribing a particular edition or tracklist. It is the pleasure of putting on familiar Christmas music that belongs to this ritual.

I love a gingerbread latte, but ordinary coffee can be just as welcome. The point is to choose something you will enjoy drinking once you have settled down.

These are simple drink ideas from my own preferences, rather than measured recipes. I have not supplied exact amounts or a particular syrup flavour, so use your usual coffee or hot chocolate and adjust any additions to your taste.

I usually have Monin syrups at home. A little syrup and some frothed lactose-free milk can make a coffee feel like a café treat without much effort.

Make the coffee you normally enjoy, add a small amount of the syrup you have chosen and finish with warmed, frothed lactose-free milk. Follow your syrup's serving guidance and your frother's instructions; start with less sweetness if you are unsure, then taste before adding more.

I love the gingerbread-latte flavour, so it is a lovely option for the Christmas mood. That does not mean you need to buy a particular bottle for this afternoon. I have not specified which Monin flavours are in my cupboard, and a plain coffee is equally part of my menu.

One of my favourite small additions is a pinch of cinnamon in hot chocolate. It gives my usual chocomel a little festive flavour with very little extra work.

Prepare the hot chocolate you already like, stir in a small pinch of ground cinnamon and taste. Ground cinnamon will not dissolve completely, so stir again if it settles. Begin with a little; you can add more if you want a stronger cinnamon flavour.

Choose the milk and hot chocolate product that suit you. Lactose-free milk does not automatically make every chocolate mix or topping lactose-free, so check those separately if that matters for your drink.

There is no need to make a flavoured drink just because the afternoon has a name. Coffee in a favourite cup, with the music and biscuits beside it, is already a lovely choice.

You can each have something different. The two drinks do not have to match to belong to the same afternoon.

I am very happy to buy the biscuits for this. I love those cheerful Christmas ones with sprinkles — the little decorations are part of the appeal. Baking and decorating them myself is not how I would choose to spend this particular afternoon.

Put a few on a plate and enjoy looking at them as well as eating them. You can choose stars, trees or whichever shapes make you smile; there is no required biscuit assortment.

The practical shopping list is short: the coffee or hot chocolate you normally enjoy, milk that suits you (and syrup if you would like it), ground cinnamon for the hot chocolate, and a small selection of bought Christmas biscuits.

- The coffee or hot chocolate you normally enjoy. - Milk that suits you, and syrup if you would like it. - Ground cinnamon for the hot chocolate. - A small selection of bought Christmas biscuits.

Check what you already have before buying anything. The afternoon works with one drink and a few biscuits; you do not need to fill a whole tray with different café specials.

Usually, I read something while Bas works on Lego. I often give him Lego for Christmas, and this is one of the ways we spend a very cosy afternoon together.

I like that we can each be absorbed in something while enjoying the same atmosphere. We share the music, the warm drinks and the room, even though we are doing different things.

You can borrow that idea with whatever you enjoy. One person might read while the other draws, does a puzzle or works on a craft. If you are spending the afternoon on your own, choose the thing you have been looking forward to picking up.

Keep a little clear space for cups and plates, especially if there are small building pieces on the table. Having somewhere sensible for the drinks lets you get comfortable without rearranging everything halfway through.

I love candlelight, and I am enthusiastic about lighting the candles around me when I want that Christmas glow. It is one of the details that makes the afternoon feel especially cosy.

Place lit candles in suitable holders on stable surfaces, clear of books, blankets, decorations and anything else that can catch fire. Keep them in view while you are there and put them out when you leave. That way the glow can stay part of the pleasure without getting in the way of reading or building.

Use the lights and candles you already enjoy in your room. This is a moment to spend in the home, rather than another decorating project to finish before you can sit down.