After evening meal on Christmas eve the kitchen table was again set and on it were placed a loaf of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins, a pitcher of milk and a large lit candle. The door to the house was left unlatched so that Mary and Joseph, or any wandering traveler, could avail of the welcome. 

A Laden Table is an old Christian Christas tradition.  This is another tradition that goes back to the pre-Penal times Irish Catholic tradition. The Catholics in Ireland would set out a simple repast for Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve. The meal tradditional consisted of some milk, with bread baked with raisins and caraway seeds.