There comes a time - hard though it seems to believe - that your children don't tumble out of bed at stupid o'clock on Christmas morning. All those years of being up with (before) the sun do end and before you know it, you are pleading with teens to get out of bed so you can open presents and eat breakfast in good time before heading out to lunch with the extended family.
Even if, as in our case, that family celebration is (technically) only walking distance from home!
My mother-in-law runs a tight ship and Christmas lunch is on the table, getting cold, at 12 noon! A full roast with all the trimmings is a lot to face when you are still digesting the big breakfast that has become part of the special day. So - what to do?
We started to have breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve!
It has always been a favourite time for me - Carols By Candlelight on the telly and candles glimmering around the house and we tended to gather then anyway. And I had always told my children I never wanted Christmas Day to be a tug-of-war for them: with love comes a second family and juggling everyone's expectations causes too much stress for my liking. Christmas Eve never seems in demand in other families, so it has worked well as ours has extended.
So now, as their work-day ends, our family gather with presents and expectations of a dinner entirely consisting of breakfast foods!
The menu generally remains the same -
- Bacon and eggs - whatever way you choose. With sides.
- French toast
- Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and/or blueberry sauce
- Waffles
- Croissants
- Summer berries
- Muffins/toast/fruit toast
- Fresh orange juice
- Tea/coffee
Most of the provisions can be stocked up before the day, with just the freshest needing a trip on the day. Some preparation can be done in the morning and the kitchen becomes the base of short-order chefs as the day goes on.
Any leftovers are just the thing in the morning, when you only need enough to take the edge of your hunger before lunch.
Over the years, as friends find out what we do, they have started to do it too!
1 comment:
Happy Christmas to you and Rodney and your family.
Your choice of menu is a mixture of English and American. Pancakes are good any time. I like pan-sized pancakes with lemon juice and sugar. Croissants with butter and jam are a change from toast.
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