Christmas Bread Pudding(s)

Have you ever tried bread pudding? I first did last year at Christmastime, when my mom made it for our Christmas dinner desert. I was surprised to find how much I liked it, given that it is basically just sweet, mushy bread. When we were deciding what to make for Christmas dinner desert this year, my mom concluded that - it being such a hit last year, and apparently a pretty traditional Christmastime dish - bread pudding should be given an encore performance. Audrey and I, of course, were commissioned to prepare it.