Christmas Breakfast Spread (Part 2)

Back at it again! We celebrated Christmas early with my sister and her family when they were in town so I made my brunch spread a little early this year. I knew I wanted to do some things the same as last year, but switched up some other things.  I did more fresh garland this year and added in some fresh red and white roses and the table smelled amazing (even before the cooking began!). Stuck with the classic mimosas and had to expand to create a coffee area and hot chocolate bar. I made the waffles with my new gingerbread waffle iron and they turned out SO cute. The whole spread was a hit! We also ended with a delicious cake made by a family friend [you can find her on instagram @darlanda]. It was the perfect way to kick off the Christmas celebrations. 

A few tips for a successful Christmas brunch:

1. Do as much prep work as you can the day before - get the coffee all ready to brew, wash and cut fruit, bake and decorate Christmas cookies, leave out things that need to rise overnight like cinnamon rolls or croissants, set out boards and serving dishes you want to use (I even use sticky notes to decide where things will go)

2. Tell your guests to wear pajamas (we did matching ones) so you can just focus on the food and don't have to worry about getting ready. We lounged around and watched Christmas movies after brunch!

3. Determine what needs to be cooked at what temperature for how long. Make a cooking schedule. I made most things (chicken, cinnamon rolls, homemade waffles, and hash browns) then put them back in the oven right before brunch to warm them up. Some things will need to be made RIGHT before serving like eggs and bacon.

4. Start with coffee and mimosas right when guests arrive - that way if you are a little behind schedule none of your guests will care (a Christmas cookie also goes well with coffee)

You can see more family pictures from our brunch on my instagram feed [@sarah_hilbers]

Happy Holidays!

XO,
Sarah

Christmas Breakfast Spread (Part 1)

10 days until Christmas! Last year I started the tradition of doing a huge Christmas brunch spread. The menu included eggs, pancakes, chicken & waffles, cinnamon rolls, assorted fruits, bacon, Christmas cookies, chocolates, coffee, hot chocolate, mimosas, and more. It was such a hit, it will be something we do year after year. I decided to use Kraft paper to place everything on and used wrapping paper underneath to make it even more festive. 

See below for details about what I used to serve this spread!

XO,
Sarah