With ideas of 5 things to do in London in lockdown this week:

William Sitwell's top Christmas wine picks, and how to get breakfast in bed at home from a top London hotel

I wonder how you’ve been spending the long dark evenings. Slow-cooking wine-rich stews, getting out that dusty old thousand-piece puzzle you said you’d tackle one day, online Christmas shopping or just bingeing on The Crown (although The Queen’s Gambit is infinitely better). I’ve gone practical and have decided that my sitting room needs a makeover, so I’ve called in Suzann Borg of Roomlab to help me turn my mismatched children’s den-cum-TV saloon into a wonderfully chic yet cocooning space that works for all members of the family. And I’m organising my first virtual dinner party. Lockdown life ain’t so bad.

Have a great week.

Lucy

FIVE THINGS TO GET YOU THROUGH LOCKDOWN WEEK THREE

Chanel’s 'Call and Collect' service

Santa takes on a stylish new guise at Chanel Covent Garden, which is launching a ‘Call and Collect’ service this Christmas. A modern take the personal shopper, this offers phone or email consultations for clients looking for advice on a purchase – whether that’s a gift for a loved one or a personal treat. Phone 020 7240 2001 or email covent.garden@chanel.com

Berkeley in Bed

Fancy a taste of the suite life? If you’ve got an SW1X postcode, The Berkeley will whizz breakfast in bed over by bike – think fresh pastries, smoked salmon bagels, pressed juices and granola, bundled in with a daily newspaper and packaged in brown paper with personalised tags. Mimosas optional.

Wreath-making classes

Don’t let lockdown dampen your festive cheer – December is in sight, and what better way to kick off the season than by making your own Christmas wreath? There are a whole host of virtual wreath-making classes popping up, but our top pick is this one from Wardian London in partnership with the Botanical Boys. Book your tickets now for 1 or 15 December.

Locked Down

Say goodbye to Zoom quizzes: there’s a new virtual socialising activity on the scene. Locked Down by Morpheus is an immersive theatrical experience in which online audiences are taken on a sensory adventure by live actors, designed for groups of up to six people. Perfect for office parties or lockdown birthdays.

Thanksgiving at home

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and while we can’t go out and celebrate with friends there are plenty of ways to get involved with the festivities from home. Lots of London restaurants have created special takeaway menus for the occasion, including Riding House Café, 108 Brasserie and Christopher’s.

Enter now to be in with a chance of winning a luxurious overnight stay in a Junior Suite Terrace at The Standard London.

WHAT’S KEEPING MY SPIRITS UP

SCRAPBOOKING ON SPEED

I’ve been organising my photos this month and making printed albums for grandparents as presents – it really is the only thing they ever want. They’ve got enough soap, scarves and chocs to last a lifetime. But there is a huge step up from scrapbooking photos that would make the most fabulous gift if you could afford it (it’s around £7,500 which can be paid in instalments) – their own autobiography, printed, bound and written by professionals. LifeBook offers just this service – after a series of 12 90-minute interviews, they will put together a book of your life complete with photographs and documents. Instant family heirloom.

DOLLY PARTON

I’ve loved Dolly ever since I worked on a Montana ranch in 2001. She’s a fighter, a survivor and has written some of the soundtrack songs to our lives. Behind the hairspray and the bust lies the courage of a lion and the tenderness of a lamb. Judge her at your peril. For full Dolly immersion, check out NPR’s brilliant podcast Dolly Parton’s America which came out earlier this year, and in her new book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, she delves into 60 years of song-making history in her own inimitable style. One for Dolly lovers everywhere.

Elena Ferrante’s Reading List

No bigger fan will you find than me of Ferrante’s extraordinary Neapolitan Quartet – the complications of friendship have never been so forensically examined. While Ferrante still remains an enigma, she has just shared on Bookshop a thoroughly brilliant list of her top 40 books by contemporary women authors. I’ve read shamefully few of them but she has included the book that made me cry on almost every other page – Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, and I’m definitely going to be making a note of all the others I haven’t read or even heard of. Thank you, Elena, a reading list I’m sure I’m going to love.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE UP TO

Want to know which wines to buy for Christmas? William Sitwell will tell you

Sustainability editor Lisa Grainger on how to choose beauty products that don’t harm the environment

Sarah Hyde gets some fabulous entertaining tips from Aerin Lauder (Image: Simon Upton)

It’s where Roald Dahl lived. Do you fancy moving to Great Missenden?

CULTURE RADAR

LISTEN...

Still obsessed by the Jeffrey Epstein affair? New six-part LBC podcast series Hunting Ghislaine Maxwell with John Sweeney is your latest must-listen

UPGRADE...

Change up your Zoom backdrop with something suitably stately from the National Trust. Image: Library Greenway Devon. ©National Trust Images, Andreas von Einsiedel

WATCH...

See an unrecognisable Amy Adams and Glenn Close give star turns in Hillbilly Elegy, a modern exploration of the American Dream. On Netflix from 24 Nov