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Growing up, my mom's Christmas Eve revolved around kneading, brushing on butter, cinnamon, sugar, and rolling dough for our traditional Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. We'd have to wait until after breakfast to open our presents (our stockings were a pre-breakfast ritual, natch) but it was worth it. The scent of cinnamon, cloves and caramelizing brown sugar would fill the house as we unwrapped tiny bars of fancy soap and pretty pencil erasers. I'd shove a Hershey's kiss into my mouth as I longed for the hot, buttery circles of dough.
Now, any family celebration of the mundane or spectacular variety centers around bacon, biscuits and good coffee (this year's pick is Thundermuck from Columbia River Roasters). In the morning, I'll be mixing flour and baking powder and cutting in butter while my husband keeps letting our oldest son sneak slices of bacon as they come off the pan. What do you make for Christmas breakfast? Do you make it the night before, or is it a family cooking ritual? Or do you just skip breakfast and go straight to the chocolate (which I've done many a Christmas morning)?
[Photo Sarah Gilbert]
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