Traditionally, Christmas morning at our house meant breakfast in the midst of opening packages.  We’d eat pull-apart cake, sometimes called Monkey Bread, with juice and coffee.

The night before the kids would shake pieces of biscuit dough in a brown paper bag filled with a mixture of brown and white cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts. Did this put visions of sugarplums in their heads. No. They simply piled the pieces into a tube pan and I added melted butter.

In the morning, the dish was placed in a pre-heated oven and when baked, inverted onto a serving plate.  The golden sticky cinnamon bun-like breakfast bread was torn apart by little fingers. Looked pretty and was caramelly luscious, but rather messy.

Toward the end of the gift giving extravaganza, I would sneak into the kitchen and bake a quiche or sausage strata, also prepared the night before,and serve with fresh fruit salad and Mimosas.