Lady fingers or sponge cake, split and spread with fruit jelly
Fruit - fresh (strawberries, bananas, etc.) or canned (fruit cocktail, sliced peaches, crushed pineapple); leave some fruit over for decoration
Vanilla pudding
Dream Whip topping
Optional: sherry, rum, brandy, or rich red wine (or whatever takes your fancy)

In a large glass serving bowl, place lady fingers or sponge. Pour liquor over sponge, enough to taste, don't soak completely.

Put in fruit (if not using liquor, can drain some of the juice from canned fruit and pour over sponge).

Make up pudding and pour over sponge and fruit mix.

Let cool for a while and put in refrigerator or completely cool and set, anything from 2/3 hours. Can make day before.

Make up topping according to package and spoon onto set pudding/fruit mix. When this has set, allow at least 1/2 hour, put on topping.

Serve cold.

To be really fancy, and if you want to make a large trifle, you can put in another pudding mix of a different flavor/color, or use food coloring. Let the first pudding layer set first.