Delia once had a very innovative recipe for mince slice using oatmeal. I've made it for years, as well as the butter-pastry mince pies, and love it.
I also make the pudding, milder than the black offerings in the shops, and microwave it.
We have that with sweet white sauce (not that sweet, just a teaspoonful of Low-GI sugar) but the adults can add brandy.
The brandy butter goes with the mince pies, freshly made for Christmas morning breakfast, after the croissants, yoghurt, fruit, whatever the family and I fancy.
We rarely have the pudding at the same meal as the ham and pork lunch because the weather is usually far too hot for stodgy stuff all at one go.
So the traditions are kept but staggered, so to speak, so that we don't!