At Christmas, more than any other time of year, most of what we do as a family is dictated by enduring traditions passed down from a previous age. There is a lovely sense of continuity if they are carried out, year on year.
Many of our Christmas habits were adopted from my mother and grandmother, and how many generations they go back, I couldn’t say. Tree lights in white only (never coloured), game casserole (made by my mother) on Christmas Eve, carols from King’s College Cambridge on the radio (always), putting a carrot and a glass of sherry for Santa by the fire before bedtime, stockings for everyone, regardless of age, pausing lunch
