Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!! There is something so magical about Christmas morning when you have little kids.  Everything just become so much more fun to celebrate!

We tried to keep the gifts simple this year, and only get a few things for each of the children.  They were so thrilled to see that Santa Clause had arrived with their gifts!  In our house, Santa doesn’t wrap the gifts he brings them, but mom and dad wrap the gifts we get our children.

I really enjoy putting in some extra touches to make the holidays that much more special for my children!  I think it’s just as fun for me as it is for them to have some extra festive extras.

I have so many party items that I just keep around (cough, hoarder) so, pretty much all of this came from my stash I had!

I love these tiny little gingerbread houses that I found at Tai Pan Trading.  Aren’t they darling!

Caravan Shoppe has some really cute printables for a great price, that I printed out and put around the table for the kids to color and fill out their favorite traditions, and favorite Christmases to share with each other!

For Christmas morning breakfast, I make the same thing every year.  I love traditions!  I can’t believe I haven’t shared these recipes with you before!

We make German Pancakes with a homemade vanilla bean syrup, fresh fruit, and a breakfast casserole every Christmas morning!  I like it because I can usually make most of it ahead, then throw it in the oven Christmas morning, and it will bake while we open presents.

So funny story.  This year the breakfast casserole got a little crispy on top.  It doesn’t normally look this browned.  My husband majorly surprised me this year for Christmas.  He told me my present was out in the garage, and it was too heavy for him to carry in alone.  So, we went out in the garage, and he surprised me with a new car for Christmas!  I was in total shock!! Then we proceeded to jump right in and take a test drive around the neighborhood, forgetting about the breakfast casserole.  Hence the crispy casserole.  Luckily, it still tasted great!

15-20 eggs
32 (2lbs) ounces frozen hashbrowns (thawed)

1/2 lb diced deli ham

1/2 cup diced green onions

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

2 cups colby jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together eggs, cheese, milk, and sour cream.

Spread out hash browns, ham, green onions, and mushrooms in a 9×13 inch casserole pan.  Pour melted butter over the top.  Then pour egg, cheese and milk mixture over the top.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Or until eggs are set.  Serve with salsa or hot sauce like tabasco.

6-7 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 shakes cinnamon sugar

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend well.

Melt 2-3 tablespoons butter.  Place in a 9×13 inch casserole pan, and grease the pan.

Pour batter into pan, and top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

1 stick butter

Melt in a medium saucepan over low heat.  When just melted add,

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup cream or half and half

Simmer over medium heat.  When it starts to bubble up, turn down to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

When cool, add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla bean paste.  Keep in refrigerator.  Great on waffles and pancakes too!

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

I hope you all had the best Holiday Season! I’m looking forward to the New Year!  Thanks so much for reading! XOXO!

{all photos by me}