When I was a kid, I loved midnight mass. I would watch Carols by Candlelight on TV then Mum would give us a snack and we would head out into the night. When we got home, we would leave out a beer and a plate of biscuits for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph, all of which would be gone by the morning, replaced by a sleigh-load of gifts under the tree.
On Christmas Day my family would gather, tell the terrible jokes from the Christmas crackers, wear the paper crowns and eat, eat, eat. Mum would cook all morning, while my dad made his annual trifle, layers of sherry-soaked sponge and jelly topped with custard.
