Catholics are noted for their tendency to fill up the church from the back. Obscured behind other parishioners, it’s easier to lose oneself in the peace of one’s own thoughts and prayers – still part of the congregation but separate and relatively unobserved.

Christmas Eve Mass is, however, a different story. The church will be crowded well before the advertised start time. It’s a difficult judgement call as to when to get there; arrive too early and incur the wrath of one’s children and possibly have them recruited to fill the role of a shepherd or angel who hasn’t shown up to the rehearsal. Arrive too late and incur your own wrath as you search in vain for a piece of wall to lean........

© The Age