How can I make breakfast festive?

[WutheringTights]

Christmas morning usually starts with santa stockings in bed. I have three children under six so we then head down to the kitchen where we have normal ish breakfast. The children get "treat" cereal such as cocoa pops or Frosties from a selection box and fruit, while we have the Nigella Christmas morning muffins with fruit. After that we head into the living room for tree presents.

They get up horribly early so it's dark outside and it somehow just feels a bit boring and normal. What can I do to make it more festive? Should add tat it needs to be in the kitchen because one is still in a highchair and skipping breakfast just isn't an option - we'd be ok but the children are too young and are always too hungry when they wake up.

Thanks!

Pancakes? Could pre mix dry ingredients to save hassle. Variety of toppings. Christmas napkins. Tea in a teapot. Christmas music on. Bucksfizz for grown ups and orange with fizzy water for the small people?

We do smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with croissants if everyone would eat that?

There's no way my children would have eaten any breakfast while there were presents waiting in the other room

I've seen loads of brilliant ideas on Pinterest for festive breakfast. If you search north pole breakfast it should come up. I keep meaning to do it on Xmas eve morning. I'm determined to do it this year

Hot croissants are a nice treat and easy to do

We always have Gold Top milk (from jersey cows - extra creamy).

Pain au chocolat.

Having said that I don't think I can cope with hours of festiveness. I'm all for programming in some quieter/more everyday patches.

Do a North Pole Breakfast.

As a kid, we always had stockings and then down for a huge fry up, kidney and black pudding included, with Buck's Fizz and snowballs, pots of tea and fresh coffees...spread out as long as possible to build the suspense for tree presents. I do like that as it means the present excitement isn't over before it's even light outside.

I've sort of carried that on, only we have always done pancakes with bacon and eggs and syrup and fruit, last year we had a newborn so I didn't want to make pancakes so I bought some frozen pastries, croissants, pain au chocolate, frozen pancakes etc. We made the 3 year olds into a Santa pancake with squirty cream (google image) and she's mentioned several times she can't wait for that again. So I think we may keep the tradition of frozen pastries as it was much easier. Another addition is we play Christmas music, we were never allowed Christmas music when I was a kid as it upset my brother who is autistic.

I can't imagine cereal on Christmas morning!

Asda do Christmas tree crumpets...mmmmm with Nutella, jams, cream cheese, smoked salmon etc. you could get a set of cookie cutters heat proof and make small festive pancakes with honey, yogurt, selection of cut up fruit....

You could always pull some crackers over breakfast

We always do reindeer for breakfast. The boys love them

Can you put some fairy lights up in the kitchen and have Christmas music - carols or songs or whatever you like - playing? Have low-level lighting apart from fairy lights and I think that would feel quite different and exciting for the little ones. And maybe some kind of decoration on the table?

Thanks for alll the replies. We need something normalish for breakfast, kids are too young to cope without. I think main thing is that it’s in the kitchen so the lighting is a bit clinical. We have fairy lights in there and can see the Christmas tree through glass doors. I’ll see if i can do anything about the lighting. I also think dressing the table is key. We have a Christmas tablecloth. Have been looking for Christmas bowls but have drawn a blank ( not willing to pay £££s). Perhaps Christmas paper napkins. Has anyone seen any reasonably priced Christmas tableware?

Thanks!

Matalan usually have some cheap children’s plastic/ melamine plates, bowls etc each year for Christmas

Like this cup although can’t find plates online, but they may have them in store...

Growing up I had a selection box for breaking now I eat carrots as I'm chopping and peeling and the kids have cereal. Do refuses breakfast as Xmas dinner is his favourite dinner of the year and he doesn't want to risk ruining it!

We used to wear santa hats. My brother once secretly wrapped all the cereal packets in christmas paper for no apparent reason. We all found it hilarious.

Tinsel round a bowl, a chair and even a spoon will make a toddler ecstatic. Makes me and DH twitch but they loved it.

Tigs@ that is the most festive breakfast I have ever seen!!!

My own experience is that children like some normality even on special days. I was having a Christmas celebration (not on the 25th) with my partner and my stepchildren who would have been 7 and 5. He'd bought croissants, which they picked at and then asked if they could have the usual cereal and toast.

You can make pancakes in advance and freeze them then pop them in the microwave to heat up.

Gold chocolate coins scattered on the table to have after (or before! ) cereal.

Tinsel crowns for them to wear.

Buck's Fizz for the grown ups.

Candles makes it festive and takes away the clinical lighting. I use the light from the extractor fan and candles everywhere/open fire.