Christmas Morning Traditions: How the Allrecipes Community Celebrates With Food

Oftentimes, our holiday rituals and traditions are not planned, they just happen. Maybe our parents or grandparents had a special Christmas breakfast that we've since adopted as our own, or maybe there was that one casserole you made a few years back that led everyone to say, "You need to make this every year." Traditions don't need to be grand or fancy, but having that little something extra to look forward to just once a year makes the day all the more special.

We were curious to hear what Christmas morning food traditions the Allrecipes community has, so we went to our Allrecipes Allstars. If you're looking to start a new tradition or simply to expand on an existing one, read on to find the inspiration you need this holiday season.

But First, Coffee (and Hot Cocoa)

It doesn't matter if it's Monday morning or Christmas morning — coffee always comes first. Try setting up a beverage station the night before and allow guests to pour their own coffee and add cream and sugar as they like. Be sure to provide hot cocoa for the little ones too, like Allrecipes Allstar Mary Burns: "Like with so many families, Christmas morning is such a special time in our home. My little girl is seven and getting to experience the magic of the holiday with her is always the best part. We always start with a nice Christmas blend coffee and hot chocolate for my daughter, then we move onto gifts."

Cinnamon Rolls All Around

Without a doubt, one of the most popular Christmas morning breakfast traditions is making cinnamon rolls. And it makes sense: They can be made ahead of time and they feel indulgent enough to save for a special occasion.

Allrecipes Allstar Mackenzie Burgess says her dad makes cinnamon rolls every year: "Every year on Christmas morning, our tradition is to open presents and then rush over to the kitchen to enjoy my dad's homemade cinnamon rolls! He always gets up early to make fresh dough rolled with cinnamon spices, raisins, and drizzled in icing. You just can't beat it! There are usually extra so we also end up enjoying them for the next few days to come."

Mackenzie's Favorite Recipes:

• Mom's Good Cinnamon Rolls
• Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Squash Cinnamon Rolls

If you're making them in advance, Allrecipes Allstar Donna Michaels suggests placing them in the fridge uncooked the night before and giving them time to rise in the morning: "A little hint on the rising - if you do not have a warming/proofing option on your oven, you can simply heat your oven up at the lowest setting and turn it off when it reaches that temperature. Place your rolls in and allow them to rise."

Donna's Favorite Recipe: Clone of a Cinnabon

French Toast to the Holidays

"All I want for Christmas is cinnamon French toast with brioche!" says Allrecipes Allstar Christina Bailey. "The buttery, slightly sweet bread makes for the richest, most beautiful stacks of golden brown French toast. Already loaded with spoonfuls of warming cinnamon, I tend to pinch in allspice, cloves, and nutmeg when we enjoy it on Christmas morning."

Christina suggests topping it all off with a warm fruit compote using the season's bounty of apples, pears, and cranberries: "It elevates what can be a one-dimensional (but still delicious!) dish to holiday status."

But the tradition is not just in the food itself, it's in the prep work too. Christina and her family spend Christmas Eve slicing brioche and laying it out to dry overnight (stale bread will absorb more of the egg mixture). "Our older son now rarely forgets about the brioche and often slices it himself with his mini chef's knife. Perhaps my favorite part about our French toast Christmas tradition is the peace I find in the kitchen that allows for stolen sips of coffee by the heat of the stove."

Browse our entire collection of French Toast Recipes.

Eggcellent Breakfast

On the savory side, eggs in some form or fashion are always a great choice because they give you the fuel you need to tackle that pile of presents. Mackenzie, who is also a registered dietician, says she always advocates for eggs or some sort of protein to go with the sweet dishes: "So, alongside the cinnamon rolls, we will create some sort of egg dish that we make the night before to cook in the morning. This could look like a cast iron egg frittata, egg casserole, or mini egg muffins. Eggs are a great source of lean protein, iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D."

From make-ahead casseroles to simply scrambled, there are a lot of ways to serve eggs at the holidays. Donna says her tradition of making a classic Quiche Lorraine on Christmas morning comes from her mother: "I usually make my own crusts, but with all that is hectic during the holidays, a store bought crust can make this a quick and easy preparation. Everything can be made ahead of time and put into the dish in the morning and baked."

Donna's Favorite Recipe: Quiche Lorraine II

Butter Your Biscuits

Making biscuits can be a bit of a labor of love, but if it's ever appropriate to dig out Grandma's homemade biscuit recipe, it's Christmas morning. Allrecipes Allstar Lisa Altmiller says her husband always makes classic biscuits and gravy for Christmas. If you're looking for a new, seasonal approach to biscuits, Mary says her family enjoy these pumpkin biscuits every Thanksgiving and Christmas morning.

"We often have them with homemade pumpkin butter, honey, or blackberry jam. They are easy to make and they have such great pumpkin and spice flavors without being overwhelming."

Mary's Favorite Recipe: Pumpkin Biscuits

A Little Bit of Everything

While the show-stopping dishes above can certainly stand on their own, sometimes your best option for feeding a crowd is variety. Cooking large batches of bacon in the oven is the easiest, no-mess way to serve bacon to a large group. And the same can be said for scrambled eggs — you really can cook them in the oven to serve a crowd. A big fruit salad is always a good way to break up the heavy, indulgent holiday dishes.

"The main Christmas breakfast tradition that has continued from my childhood into adulthood is scrambled eggs, bacon, some kind of pastry, and some kind of juice! Growing up my dad always made the eggs and bacon, and my mom would either make the pastries (from a tube) or buy something from a local bakery, and always big glasses of orange juice," says Allrecipes Allstar Nicole Geldart. "Once we were adults the orange juice turned into mimosas. But now that I'm older and away from home I switched to coffee and then fancy juice sans the booze (no time for headaches or naps on Christmas!). I try to continue the breakfast tradition even if I'm at home with just my husband."

More Christmas Breakfast Ideas:

• Our 20 Best Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Ideas of All Time
• 15 Best Make-Ahead Christmas Breakfasts for a Houseful of Holiday Guests
• Browse our entire collection of Christmas Breakfast and Brunch Recipes.