Brussels Sprouts? Really?

Fr Longenecker tells us what constitutes an English Christmas here.

Some of these items are indispensable for anybody's Christmas (mince pie! Christmas pudding!). Some things are truly wonderful but we never have them here -- like church bells. I last heard a city full of church bells on Christmas day in Dublin twenty or so years ago. It was magic. I hope they still do that.

And some things I will never understand, i.e., the necessity for brussels sprouts. Mary has always insisted on them for the Christmas dinner. I always thought it was a peculiarity of hers. Apparently not.

Brussels sprouts.

Huh.

Who knew?