Crowd-Sourced Christmas Breakfast

Christmas breakfast—ask someone what they eat now or ate as children on Christmas morning and the stories come tumbling out. Every household has its tradition.

For my neighbour, when his kids were young, it was a breakfast loaf studded with fruits and nuts. “It had to be fast,” he says.

I canvassed my siblings and, unusually in a family of five kids, the memory was unanimous: scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and Habitant Chow Chow, after church and before presents.

My oldest brother reminded us of the year the bacon was replaced by spicy venison sausage patties (our dad had been hunting that fall). “I think it was my first intro to spicy heat,” he says. I remember us all feeling rather sophisticated that Christmas morning.

Searching further afield, I queried another family I’m proud to be part of—the gang at What’s Up Yukon.

Editor Chris Colbourne recalls, “For us it was always these kinds of mini buffets of eggs and fruit and some kind of meat, usually peameal bacon if we could get it. But we also do Belgian waffles with homemade whipped cream, fruit, confectioner’s sugar and, of course, 100 percent maple syrup (none of those imposters).”

He adds, “Then there’s [the] Baileys and coffee …”

What’s Up’s marketing and ad person, Chelsey MacDonald, heartily agrees.

“First thing is always coffee and Baileys,” she says. A transplanted Aussie, when she’s here, MacDonald’s go-to breakfast, Christmas or not, is toast and Vegemite, the beloved Australian spread made from brewer’s yeast extract, vegetables and spices.

But it’s a different story when she’s home.

“When I am in Oz, my mum and I usually start out with seafood.” She says seafood is a common Christmas meal in Australia—it is summer, after all.

“A lot of families crank up the barbie (unless it’s a total fire ban). So, the seafood consists of crayfish, king-sized prawns and sometimes oysters Kilpatrick—oysters with crispy bacon and a sauce made from ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.”

For the prawns and crayfish, MacDonald’s mum makes a sauce that sounds both bizarre and delicious to this Canadian cook—vanilla ice cream, lemon, and tomato sauce.

“We then just sit outside and enjoy,” says MacDonald.

At copy editor Josephine Holmes’s house, the tradition is perhaps more familiar.

“Christmas morning begins, always, with coffee, followed by bacon and eggs and toast.

The Holmes family, like all of us, have evolved their own unique practices.

“One of our most loved traditions is to ask: What is one thing you are leaving behind, this year, and what is something you are taking with you?”

And then the music starts. “We sing together, with our son on jembe, our daughter on guitar, and my husband playing the spoons. We are a lively bunch!”

For the rest of the day, the food is festive and fun, she says, “As colourful as we can make it. Everybody brings what they love to make.”

Mark Beese, publisher and CEO (a.k.a. Grand Potentate and Thinker) at What’s Up Yukon, grew up with a tradition of a big Christmas brunch. It always included an important feature: an orange and a boiled egg on every plate.

“My mother grew up in post-war Netherlands, and a boiled egg was a huge once-a-year kind of treat,” he says. These days, Beese and his sister continue the brunch tradition, including that reminder of when times were tough.

Beese loves to make Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.

“Mark cooks it all,” says his partner, Tammy Beese, founder, co-owner and Goddess of Chaos at the paper.

“Turkey, ham and, for the vegetarian in the family, a roasted cauliflower head that gets carved like the meats. Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, whipped mashed potatoes and roasted mini potatoes with a wee bit of turmeric and oil. His stuffing is delicious too. He always makes extra—everyone gets to take some home. Ideal for the young adults who now live on their own.”

The Beeses, like so many of us, have suffered losses. Three years ago, right around Christmas, Mark’s dad died. The family was in and out of hospital for weeks. There was no time to cook, but they did their best. And friends rallied round.

“They surprised us with pies and treats and hors d’oeuvres that just tied it all together. We literally had nothing to start with,” says Tammy.

“We think we need everything just right. That year we all saw we just needed each other.”

Traditions sustain us (when they don’t trip us up)—they invoke friends and family no longer here, they connect us to our past and to each other, and they bring us together into the future.

These days, Mark’s dad is still present at the family brunch. His multi-pocketed vest “that he wore literally every day” has a place of honour in a chair at the table.

Breakfast Strata

Also known in some circles (like my extended family) as “Christmas Morning Wife Saver” or simply “The Wife Saver,” this is a savoury bread pudding you prep the night before and bake in the morning. (Hence saving the “wife”—how about we say “the cook”—time and energy for turkey dinner preparation.)

It’s cheesy, rich and packed with flavourful nuggets of onion, bacon, cheese or whatever you fancy. I would not say no to roasting a tray of mushrooms and one of sausages at the same time as the strata. And yes—even though there’s bread in the strata, you might want toast. Preferably with lots of butter.

Tip Top Granola

Because sometimes, as my neighbour says, breakfast has to be fast.

Years ago, I found a recipe (I’ve lost the original but thank you to that smart cook) that spelled out the basic proportions for a good granola—3 cups oats to 3 cups nuts and fruits to 1 cup oil and sweetener combined. I tweaked it a bit, increasing the nuts and fruits, and have followed it ever since.

Feel free to tweak it too—I like whole nuts and chunks of dried fruit; you might want smaller pieces. You might want more oats. Here’s the very-forgiving template.

Breakfast Strata

Also known in some circles (like my extended family) as “Christmas Morning Wife Saver” or simply “The Wife Saver,” this is a savoury bread pudding you prep the night before and bake in the morning. (Hence saving the “wife”—how about we say “the cook”—time and energy for turkey dinner preparation.)

It’s cheesy, rich and packed with flavourful nuggets of onion, bacon, cheese or whatever you fancy. I would not say no to roasting a tray of mushrooms and one of sausages at the same time as the strata. And yes—even though there’s bread in the strata, you might want toast. Preferably with lots of butter.

Tip Top Granola

Because sometimes, as my neighbour says, breakfast has to be fast.

Years ago, I found a recipe (I’ve lost the original but thank you to that smart cook) that spelled out the basic proportions for a good granola—3 cups oats to 3 cups nuts and fruits to 1 cup oil and sweetener combined. I tweaked it a bit, increasing the nuts and fruits, and have followed it ever since.

Feel free to tweak it too—I like whole nuts and chunks of dried fruit; you might want smaller pieces. You might want more oats. Here’s the very-forgiving template.

TIP: Granola makes a great present!