I don't think I ever saws my Mom make a cake from a mix; she was a superb baker and all around cook, but lovingly remembered for her wonderful Christmas creations (let alone Easter!) amongst which is this rich and lovely Christmas Cake, that I can share with you. In attempting this one, you need remember that it was always on a budget , so the cherries, peel, etc are not the ones packed in expensive syrupy fluid, but rather the cheaper candied ones, often bought in today's Bulk Barn ... Mom never advocated drinking, but using white rum or brandy in place of the pineapple juice was not unusual, I just can't imagine her writing that out for dissemination in the family reunion cookbook I'm pulling this up from... Where fruit is mentioned as an ingredient, most often this meant currants, in semi-dried form, but I'll go out on a limb and suggest chopped dried apricots would work well, too...(remember, this is a heritage recipe, Mom was into her 20's in the Dirty Thirties, when you worked from the cheapest ingredients, and there weren't a lot of choices!)