December 1st breakfast

[ChristmasHasCome]

IF you do a special breakfast for today, what do you have? My kids are teens but we have our friends children staying with us at the moment who are younger, due to a family emergency, and they cheered up when we mentioned we could do this.

We are having,

🎄 Pancakes shaped like snowmen, Xmas trees and Rudolf with smarties, chocolate chips, strawberries and blueberries for decoration

🎄 Snowman crumpets

🎄 Grapes and blueberries made into a Christmas tree

🎄 Banana and strawberries made into candy canes

🎄 Milk in bottles decorated to look like snowmen

🎄 Hot chocolate and marshmallows

🎄 Chocolate coins

🎄 Advent calendars (chocolate and Lego)

I decorated the dining table late last night so it looks very festive for them and our friends children’s elves are with us!

Just wondering what you’re doing because I’m nosy and maybe I can steal some ideas.

This sounds awesome, I wish you'd posted last week so I could have done it today 😂 but we've had pit December box (instead of Christmas Eve box) which has gone down extremely well with my 4 year old!

I didn't do it with my lot when they were small, but whenever the first of them comes over prior to Christmas we do tend to push the boat out for breakfast, there is always hot chocolate with squirty cream, marshmallows and a flake! It gives us enough energy to get through the day, which is always full of decorating, wrapping, preparing food, precooking etc.

And my youngest DD did the puff pastry and Nutella thing last year, cut in the shape of a Christmas tree (she didn't use Nutella, she used Lidl's white chocolate and hazlenut spread because I can't eat chocolate with cocoa in, and it was DELICIOUS).

It does sound lovely, what a kind thing to do for the children (and it sounds like you spoke to them before and they were keen to do it).

We have our special breakfast on Christmas Eve, and one or two days of a less healthy breakfast isn’t going to harm anyone!
We generally prefer savoury treats so we have:

• A Christmas tree that I cut out of puff pastry and fill with a cream cheese/feta/egg/spinach mix and top with cherry tomato slices and olives as ‘baubles’
• Fruit salad with pomegranate ‘jewels’
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese or avocado bagels.

We did have some Christmas shaped crumpets (just with butter and marmite), and the first chocolate from the advent calendar this morning though.

If it hadn’t been a work/nursery day then I’d happily have made pancakes with fruit and peanut butter with the kids (we’d have tried to make shapes, probably unsuccessfully 😂).

What fresh hell is this?😀

I hope it doesn't become a thing.

I remember when it was all fields around here and Christmas was Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Those who wanted to be OTT could get an Advent Calendar.

That stick up your arse can’t be very comfortable 😂

This made me laugh 🤣

You're a wonderful friend OP. Those children will have lovely memories to enjoy in years to come. I'm 53 and even when I was young, my mum would surprise me with lots of magical festive surprises in the run up to Christmas. It was so much fun.

Clutch those pearls!!

Shame you had to be so strict with your children because they couldn’t accept that one offs of squirting cream couldn’t be repeated every day.

Take no notice of the miserable sods on here OP. What you're doing is really kind and lovely, it sounds wonderful. It's not something I do (because I'm a lazy so-and-so!) but I'd love it if someone did it for me.

Sounds like a lovely thing to do OP. I'm sure the kids will have appreciated it.

I must admit my initial, instinctive, reaction was a little negative but that's a me thing. I think sometimes seeing all the things like Xmas eve boxes, elaborate elf antics etc can make me feel like I'm not doing enough as a parent and my default defensive mechanism is to be sneery. I wonder if some of the comments come from a similar place. My more considered reaction is to realise that how others choose to celebrate has nothing to do with me, be inspired by some of the ideas and impressed by the creativity of the rest.

Gosh, you’ve had some horrible responses OP!

(I particularly like the ‘how do you have time in the morning’ from people who have time to be browsing MN in the morning…)

With regards to the comments about the amount of sugar - this is one meal, on one day, you have no idea what other meals look like! So put down the pearls, drop the judgey looks, and appreciate this for what it is: a fun festive activity some people choose to do. I don’t do the whole elf thing, but I don’t judge anyone who does!

Anyway, yes, I did this for my 1 year old this morning - pancakes in Christmas tree shapes, Greek yoghurt ‘tinsel’, banana and strawberries cut into slices and shaped like a candy cane. It was simple, quick, took about 3 minutes longer than his usual breakfast, and he had a big smile when I gave it to him: absolutely worth it in my opinion.

Never heard of a Dec 1st brekkie, seems like stretching my least fav season out further, lol. But it's a great thing to do for your loved ones, I hope they enjoyed it and gave them some need cheer :-)

It's lovely to do a special breakfast for children that are going through a hard time. It's unreasonable to treat 1 December breakfast as if it's a run of the mill tradition. It's a fresh hell that can fuck off along with Christmas eve boxes and the stupid elf on the shelf. Before long Christmas "traditions" will last all year.

ODFOD.
and maybe read the OP?

How marvellous! A sweet Christmassy distraction for the kids and you after a tumultuous time. Hope you all get stuck in. Pop on the Mariah and sing your hearts out. Take care of yourselves. You’re v thoughtful for doing this

We don’t do this but just wanted to say what a wonderful person you are.

Merry Christmas

Ouch some of the comments here are way harsh….

OP, you’ve done a lovely thing for children going through a difficult time.

This isn’t my kinda thing, but DD is only 3. Our special breakfast is pancakes with chocolate spread. But what you’ve put together sounds amazing and I know that this will have brought so much fun and joy to those kids during a hard time so good for you OP - please don’t let other people’s negativity make you feel bad, you’re doing a wonderful thing!

And guys, we don’t HAVE to reply just to be mean or condescending. We can just scroll past.

Go deal with your own addiction and stop making this about you. Op has clearly said a group of kids are upset,absent from home and in need of a treat, and if that treat has sugar, Wahey!

Look amazing That candy cane is so clever.

I think this sounds great! They will be very excited.Some rather unkind posts here.Surely if it makes them happy whats the problem ? She is lucky to have you as a friend I think

How wonderful @ChristmasHasComeI wish I’d thought of this when DD was younger and what a fabulous morning for three kids who are going through grim times. Ignore the grinches, you’re one of the good ‘uns.

(Of course you will now have to negotiate tomorrow and explain that this isn’t everyday breakfast in your home 😂)

I haven't read the full thread so sorry if I am repeating what others have suggested, but I think this is a really lovely idea. Whatever the children are going through, to create a few moments of safe, happy memories will hopefully give them some comfort and respite.
Your list sounds really lovely - the only thing I would add (probably a bit late for today but you could do it nearer Christmas on Christmas Eve) would be croissants or pain au chocolat. You could get those ready-to-roll kits so they can make their own, or you could buy some lovely ones ready made and they can add their own fillings.

I always make pancakes for the Gdcs’ breakfast when they’re staying - making the batter the night before is the thing, preferably in a blender, so very quick! And a good pancake pan, used for nothing else, just wiped out each time, never put in the dishwasher.

We make a big deal of the 1st December as we spend Christmas away from home and this is like our Christmas morning. We get our advent calendars, open our Dec 1st boxes (90% stuff we use each year like pjs, mugs, books and our stockings) and then go wander round the local Christmas markets. We’re all ill this year and no one wants breakfast but it would normally be pancakes or French toast. Life is what you make it OP!