Tales from the country

Mummers, drunken carols and a parade of wrongdoers - village life at Christmas is brilliant

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FAMILIES THAT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS ALL HAVE THEIR OWN FESTIVE TRADITIONS. Some put the tree up a month in advance, while others prefer to wait until closer to the big day. Some open their presents first thing in the morning; some defer to after lunch, or until a bracing walk has been 'enjoyed' by all. Growing up in my family, the tradition was that we weren't allowed more than one chocolate liqueur per day, as any more might have opened the doors to bacchanalian excess and possibly result in us actually having fun, but that's between me and my therapist. We all give Christmas a tweak or two to suit ourselves. And it happens on a wider scale, with festivities local to each region, village or town. In Winster, a five-minute drive away, there's a mumming troupe (The Winster Guisers) who perform around Peak District pubs in the festive season. Their costumes are based on a photograph of Victorian mummers taken in the 187