Many special foods like the Christmas fruitcake, mince pies etc. are also made. The most popular drink for the feast is the mulled wine. The main course of the feast is quite heavy and it generally includes turkey, ham, sausage, bread sauce, potatoes and vegetables along with the traditional spiced beef. And the desert consists of Christmas plum pudding with rum or brandy. It is a tradition in these parts to keep mine pies and a bottle of Guinness as a snack for the loving guest, Santa.
Children often keep sacks or even pillows instead of the stockings, in anticipation of more gifts.
Most of the adults go for a midnight mass or a midnight service on the eve of Christmas. And there is entertainment too, in the white Christmas of Ireland. The pantomimes are the traditional forms of entertainment, and usually begin from St. Stephan s day i.e. before Christmas. Here, men generally play the role of women, while women act the part of men occasionally. Stories like Cinderella, Snow White are enacted upon at the pantomimes.