Christmas preparations traditionally took a long time, with parents saving money for presents, the house had to be tidied, and families readying themselves for visitors and family returning from away. Everything seems to come to a halt for most of December, with celebrations that range from parties and fancy dress balls to races and reveling on St. Stephen's Day.
Many Christmas desserts, including the main Christmas cake and the plum pudding, are actually made many weeks in advance; as early as September so that the fruit has the chance to marinate in all that alcohol!! Ginger, cloves, treacle, cinammon, and dried fruit of all kinds feature heavily in traditional Irish desserts, but nowadays people eat everything from pavlova to ice cream to a deliciously rich chocolate yule log. Jelly and ice cream is still a favorite with the kids of course! We will make some of the most popular traditional desserts in this Facebook live demonstration.