Who does a Christmas/North pole breakfast on the 1st?

[UndertheCedartree]

For a few years now I have done my children a 'Christmas breakfast' on the 1st December! We don't have an elf so I don't call it a 'Northpole breakfast' but it is pretty much the same.

I decorate the table and I have silver chargers that I put the food on - Christmas tree crumpets, mini mice pies and gingerbread men. This year I'm doing them a 'candy cane' of sliced strawberries and banana. I always put a little chocolate figure next to their place. They have Christmas plates and bottles I will get out. On the table will also be their Christmas card from me and their advent calendar (traditional picture one). They love it and it gets us all in the festive mood. Anyone else?

Thank you, @ravenshope

OP it sounds lovely and fruit is hardly plastic tat.
I used to be very rigid about Xmas but the more I embrace new things the more I enjoy it.
Dc are 11 and don't believe in Santa anymore, they are still adamant that the elves will appear to create havoc.
We all know that they aren't real but they are a tradition for us.
Elves (actually gnomes) will appear on Sunday with some new pj's and I think we will have a fruit, pancake Xmas breakfast as well.
There really are very few years of childhood.

No
...sounds exhausting!

@UndertheCedartree I just bought some Christmas tree crumpets ready for Sunday now

@killerqueen

My DParents are very religious ( church 2x on Sunday , we went to Sunday School, Church youth club, Dad was a Deacon for years and a Sunday school teacher )
But my DMum did as close to nothing as possible for Christmas . No decorations unless we did them.
Would happily sit back and let anyone else ( either me or a family friend who visited ) cook Christmas Dinner (and set the table/wash up/try to find matching glasses)
And declare she preferred Boxing Day (because it's over for another year) and she wanted to go to sleep and wake up "after the New Year"

So if I go a bit overboard with my DC it's because I can. And I want to .

Nobody else is affected by it . My DD loves Christmas and all the Traditions .
(DS is a bit Humbug but does enjoy it )
DH goes along with it .

It's a Breakfast . A nice Breakfast . It's not "exhausting" unless ypu have health issues .
I've just had some major surgery but I'm sure between us we can cobble together some pancakes and orange juice . ( No Christmas Tree shaped crumpets though)

There are "Breakfast with Father Christmas" events about . Sounds lovely .

Well I'm now all over it Under, especially as I know it really fucks others off.

@UndertheCedartree - this sounds so lovely! I've RTFT as at first I was a bit "aaarghh, what?!? Consumerism blah blah blah.." BUT having read it all and seen the couple of years you've had it sounds such a lovely, personal and special treat which I hope you all enjoy. What a lovely mum, have a good Christmas and be encouraged by the positive posts xxx

@UndertheCedartree I’ve rtft and I really hope you and your children enjoy the breakfast. At times my Asperger’s need for routine can make things regimental and I was feeling a tad anti any new-for-our-family Christmas things but actually what you are doing makes me smile and I’d like to do it and wish you good health and happiness at the same time. I’ve been only-just avoiding being an in-psych patient myself and I feel for you.
Our traditions up to now...homemade advent calendars made end of each Nov, knitted jumpers, homemade decorations slowly made throughout Dec, We bake gingerbread men for tree and also dry sliced oranges and on 24th make clove and orange ornaments and children make Hama Bead coasters for us all; we have our first mince pies warm from oven.
I love the fruit candy canes and somebody also mentioned fruit Christmas Tree which I’ll look up. Making our children’s eyes light up is magical and is fleeting, they grow so fast.
There is no plastic tat mentality in a nice breakfast. There is rudeness in MN though, sadly.

Ooh Hama bead coasters is a fab idea!

Does anyone have any ideas for the easiest and quickest North Pole breakfast? I’m not feeling too well at the moment so need something really easy.

Well we have our NP breakfast on the 24th, but all I do is French toast, with blueberries, bananas and icing sugar. And hot choc.

The only thing that makes it north pole is that I use a Christmas tree cutter on the French toast. And the icing sugar is snow obvs.

Meanwhile the actual message of Christmas gets completely lost...

Human ingenuity to turn the environmentally coldest, darkest and hardest part of the year into the most wonderful. Because that is the actual purpose of it, you know that right. The rest of it is just the stories various societies have attached to this brilliant bit of human cleverness and imagination. Turning the darkening days into the brightest is exactly what the OP is doing, well done her and boo to you for trying to shit on it.

I’m going to use a cutter to make little star shaped toasts and pile them up into a Christmas tree then cut a star out of fruit for the top and sprinkle with magic chocolate stars. We’re also having raspberries plus there’ll be bacon, egg and milk/ coffee for us. It’s just a breakfast basically except we have fun making toast trees! Only a bit of fun - hardly exhausting! 😂 We’ll also get the advent calendars out and our Elf will arrive. Our elf just comes to join us for a few weeks though, no tricks! The kids like to treat him (mainly to cuddles on the sofa and Christmas films) but they also take him to bed for cuddles and bring him on family walks too. Then he disappears home at some point near Christmas Eve. Lots of lovely family fun.

We just had a north pole breakfast this morning as we usually do on the 30th of Nov. Some pancakes, churros, fruit and I bunged a quiche in the oven last night for a savoury alternative. Our Christmas gnome and elves set it up overnight and decorated the kitchen.

DS was very sick for September and October. That was exhausting. Our dog has been very sick for the last couple of weeks, especially overnight and was in doggy hospital this week. That was exhausting. I have to give him his range of medications that he hates in a few minutes. Also exhausting. Going to work after a night of cleaning dog shit off the back of your dog at 4am then finishing off a paper due for your night course is exhausting. The seal on the back of the toilet wore away last night, so fixing that this weekend will be exhausting. It's not particularly exhausting to make breakfast and stick up a few fairly lights, a tablecloth and the tiny kitchen tree I bought for my teen bedroom back in 1994. And, tbh, it's a bit weird to think 30 minutes-ish of work which includes preparation of a meal you'd be eating anyway is at all exhausting. And yes it all adds up but really and truly, the utter joy I got to witness this morning will sustain me as I seal up the toilet later today.

@ilike -

Thank you @Smallnmighty

And thank you @Biblio - I like the sound of your traditions - I think we might have a go at some clove Oranges. We and my boy are ASD so I know what you mean about routine!

@green - how about some Christmas tree crumpets or alteratively toast cut out as a Christmas tree or star, strawberries and kiwi (red and green - festive colour!), gingerbread men and/or mini mince pies. Hot chocolate to drink.

Thank you @alittleprivacy and I'm to hear of your struggles. Your breakfast sounds lovely.

@Cloudyyy
your breakfast sounds great, too.

For all the Christmas misery guts.... ours elves have arrived on their gingerbread train this morning. We had fun doing it, all decorations have been reused from previous years and the magic on our son’s face when he saw it this morning was wonderful. Merry Christmas everyone!

Well we loved it this morning! Thanks for the tip off OP! Hope yours and everyone else’s went well!

Florin that is amazing! I hope everyone has had a lovely time this morning with their breakfasts and hopefully you’re not all too exhausted and overwrought with the pressure

OP you’ve inspired me and we’re doing a North Pole brunch. My husband is inordinately excited to be making snowmen out of banana slices on skewers!

Haha! So was my DP! Candy canes out of fruit, isn’t that clever! I was like yeah I’m a genius and definitely not a Pinterest cheat

@UndertheCedartree

Just saw this thread and wanted to say I hope your children had a lovely morning and it seems to me you have the real spirit of Christmas which is to shine a little light the darkness, whatever that means to you.

We do a little something on the 1st because the kids were excited about advent and it became a tradition - I didn’t do it because of anything I’d seen elsewhere or elf on the shelf but I know people who go all in on that stuff and I feel neither superior nor inadequate about what we do.

I bring out the wooden advent calendars and make them a paper one to stick their pictures on so those are on the table, I write something on their chalkboard and draw some pictures and put the basket of Christmas books on the table. I cut out their toast or crumpet with a Christmas tree play dough cutter and they have their Christmas mugs and I put Christmas carols on. Everything comes down from the loft except the toast and the chocolates in the calendar The kids said this morning they enjoy it as much as Christmas morning which, considering it doesn’t involve any presents, is pretty nice, actually.

We’ve also started our annual Mince Pie Premier League which I guess might be frowned on by someone but NO REGRETS!!

@underthecedartree i hope you all enjoyed your magical breakfast today! I couldn't get christmas tree crumpets for myself, so i had panettone instead, as my own nod to your idea. Have a fun day!