[Kaslin]

I have never been to the Midnight Mass. When I was a child in Germany we kids were always sent to the Christmas Eve mass at 5pm. My oldest brother always came to visit with his wife and they always went to the Midnight Mass.

Also in Germany the Christmas tree is decorated on Christmas eve while the kids are in Church, so they don't see the tree being decorated by the parents. It's the Christkindle (Christchild) who's decorating the tree and puts the presents under the tree. Then when everything is ready a little bell is rung and the candles are lit on the tree, when the kids are allowed the enter the room. I kept the tradition up when our children were smaller, but now they have their own traditions

[lentulusgracchus]

Interesting post. Thanks for posting that.

I remember lighting the candles on my English grandparents' tree in 1952. It was very different. Popcorn chains, no flocking or spray-on 'snow' .... very pretty, very Engish.

And I very seriously hammered the strawberry tarts. My grandmother was a crackerjack pie-crust maker.