We have some before Christmas and heaps after Christmas, when they're marked right down.

I make them- family loves them I started off small but it's grown to where I make 8 dozen......

No entirely relevant, but my Mom used to make Christmas cakes based on Grandma's recipe. One year, she just didn't get around to it, and bought one from the local baker. She then drilled holes into it, and poured rum into the holes, and let it sit for a few days. It was a wonderful cake. She went back to the baker, told him what she'd done, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression, and said, but it had rum in it to start with. Well, I don't know if it was the cake, but it was definitely one of our merrier Christmases.

Gioenne - actually, you're not entirely wrong. Tourtiere is a Christmas specialty in Quebec:

http://www.pbs.org/food/kitchen-vignettes/classic-french-canadian-tourtiere/

I used to have to make 4 dozen mince pies, with my special shortcrust pastry recipe, and my dad could eat a dozen in a day!! The pastry was so light and crumbly that there were quite a few "casualties" getting them out of the tin, and I always had plenty of "help" with those. Now he has passed, my family are on the other side of the world and I have to have gluten free ones, I don't make them much any more- except for my husband and if we have guests at Christmas. I'm not so keen on shop bought mince pies.

Mince pies, pudding, christmas cake are old fashioned, cold weather inherited traditions in my personal opinion, so when I started my own family I threw out these particular 'old' ways and invented our new family traditions. If anyone comes to my house during christmas and I know they love these things, I buy individual puddings etc just for them. Its just puzzling to me why the new settlers didn't embrace our island culture and extreme heat, my grandmother had no electricity but they would light up the old fuel stove and she would slavingly cook for 15 or more - Wow that is commitment! LOL - and here I am, a real individual but I've had to adapt as I am gluten intolerant and I have MS - so there you go - I think the universe is trying to tell me something LOL...

Did it give me the same message? Gluten intolerant and MS too.

We don't have mince pies @ Christmas -- my Scottish family had them on New Year's Day. When first married almost 40 years ago we had hot mince tarts with custard for breakfast on the first of January! And I know lots of Scots who do not consume them when we do but each family to its own~

In moderation only. 3 and i am done for a year.

I love them, brought up with them home made with Robertsons mince only. Born in UK, dont like any bought ones they are far too sweet and sickly. I only eat a couple as no good for my diabetes.

Yes I know its crazy to still hold with old traditions but what do you do when thats what the family wants. I vote for changing xmas to July so we can have the works. Forget December unfortunately it doesnt always work especially when most of the family wont got for the seafood they still want the baked dinner & trimmings.