Oh, I’ve held a holiday brunch or two in my day . . . in fact, it’s what I bring to the collective family celebrating. My parents host a big Christmas eve dinner, and then on Christmas morning, everyone wakes up, checks out what Santa left in the stockings and then heads to my house for more season’s feasting!  

I’m not a graceful waker-upper, and on Christmas morn have historically had to manage the chaos and excitement from my little elves  – who are now older and would quite likely sleep through stockings and brunch if you let them, oof! However, despite the luxury of sleeping in a bit, I still like to prep as many of the menu items a day or two ahead. This way, I’m not running around like the Grinch on the most wonderful day of the year. I’m sharing some of my most requested Christmas brunch and holiday breakfast ideas, many of which can be meal-prepped and kept in the fridge or freezer for no-stress holiday entertaining. 

Barn Raiser Beef & Egg Bake: This has been a crowd-pleaser for years, and I call it “Barn Raiser” because its hearty enough to fuel a morning’s worth of hard work – or fun!  It’s also famous, appearing in Taste of Home magazine and on the Home & Family show on the Hallmark Channel. I know we like to go on a trail run later in the day or hit the ice-skating rink (which is a man-made, seasonal novelty here in Austin). This Christmas breakfast casserole can be made the night before, and left covered in the fridge – then just pop in the oven in the morning. Leftovers may be frozen in single-serve portions and reheated in microwave for the busiest of busy mornings. If you need to eat it while walking out the door, just wrap it in a whole grain tortilla! 

Festive Winter Fruit Salad with Chia Seed Dressing:  The best of winter’s best picks from the produce department like citrus, pomegranate and holiday grapes, along with perennial favorites (thank you, bananas), are tossed together with a lightly tangy-sweet chia seed dressing – a twist on the traditional poppy seed dressing!

Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake Sheet Pan Pancakes: Another solution to give “flipping duty” the flip-off! Pancake batter (dressed up with chocolate chips, bits of cream cheese and cherries) is poured out into a rimmed baking sheet and baked in the oven for a hands-off break! I often use a  Protein Pancake and Waffle Mix for more nutrition, but you can use most any type/brand of pancake mix. Pour yourself another cup of coffee and kick back!

Sheet Pan Maple Beef Sausage: What this beef sausage dish lacks in beauty, it makes up for in meaty good taste and epic convenience. No one, especially me, likes to be stuck in front of a skillet managing the splatter and mess of sausage patties or links on Christmas morning. To solve this chore, I decided to make up my own bulk sausage with lean ground beef and seasonings like maple syrup, sage, cayenne, allspice and other seasonings. Mash it all flat in a standard rimmed baking sheet and cook in the oven in one fell swoop! 

Citrus Cranberry Iced Tea & Fruit Ice Ring:   Some southern sweet tea (or stevia sweetened) is a staple at our family gatherings. Here I’ve dressed it up with the zing of citrus juice, citrus slices and cranberries – it’s so easy, and a drink the whole family can enjoy. The ice ring is just as easy-peasy (just make in a jello mold or bundt pan), although it looks pretty darn Martha-esque (and you make it a head of time and keep stored in the freezer). If you want to skip the ice ring, this citrus cranberry tea recipe is also great served warm.

Upside-down Cranberry Cornmeal Coffee Cake (Gluten Free): Lol, I’m going to confess something here – I originally created this coffee cake recipe years ago to use up the leftover fresh cranberries that were still sitting in the fridge well after Thanksgiving. Every year, I have the same cranberry excess problem, so every year I make this breakfast cake. It’s easy, it’s forgiving, it tastes really yummy . . .sometimes I’ll pair with vanilla yogurt on the side. 

Snowman Milk: When the kids were younger, this little holiday brunch craft was a mega hit! I set out buttons, felt scraps and such so they could dress up recycled single-serve, store-bought Frappuccino bottles (or can get new mini milk bottles) to look like snow men . . . which we then filled with a wholesome beverage like milk.

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edited 12/27/23