Not for nothing, but you make this sound about a thousand times more complicated than it is. This wall of text is enough to put anyone off ever making a Christmas pudding. So people, don't be discouraged. Christmas pudd is a fairly easy ritual of the English festive season.
Made Christmas pudd every year in the bowels of Dorset with my ancient gran until she died at 101. I have made hundreds of them for hotel banquets. You don't have to buy breadcrumbs from a bakery. You don't have to soak the fruit and nuts a week in advance, you can simply simmer them with some citrus added. You can use butter instead of suet and few would notice the difference. Mixing it isn't some herculean struggle, I have done it a couple hundred pounds at a time in a commercial bratt pan. Metal bowls are not at all typical, ceramic ones are the usual vessels. Sealing it is not some gargantuan struggle. Video on how to properly wrap and seal a Christmas Pudding courtesy of the BBC. It doesn't need to be stuck in a pillow case, parchment paper is a perfectly normal way to cover it. Brandy butter is not the only option, brandy cream is also very popular.
And no, having it come out flaming is not some exotic English ritual, again, my ancient little gran used to douse it and light it on fire and shuffle it on into the dining room. The fun really starts when someone finds the lucky shilling she baked into the damn thing by cracking a bloody molar on it.