Christmas Morning Brunch Ideas for a Mountain Rental

Children are up before the sun, someone wants first chair, and a dinner still has to happen tonight. Most Christmas morning brunch ideas online are long recipe lists, and a list does not solve the real problem: the cook should not miss the gifts.

This guide is for families spending Christmas in a Summit County rental. By the end you will have four formats to choose from, a plan for the night before, and a way to time the meal around presents, the slopes and dinner. These are general ideas for a brunch you make yourself, not a menu of ours.

Christmas morning brunch ideas: four formats that work

Choose the format before you choose the dishes. That one decision settles how much oven time you need and who has to stay in the kitchen. This table compares four.

One big bake

A strata, a sausage and egg casserole or a baked French toast does the most with the least. Add a bowl of fruit and something salty, such as bacon on a sheet pan or smoked salmon, and the meal is finished.

A morning board

Think of a cheese board that got up early: bagels, smoked salmon, sliced ham, soft and hard cheeses, fruit and pastries from a bakery. The stove stays off, which suits a kitchen that has dinner to deal with later.

A build-your-own bar

Waffles, yogurt or oatmeal with a row of toppings keep children busy and solve most picky-eater problems. A toaster and a slow cooker do the work. Label anything with nuts, and keep allergens away from the shared spoons.

Two courses

Put out a cinnamon pastry or a tray of muffins while the gifts are opened, then sit down to the egg dish afterward. This is the format for a slow morning with no plans.

Gifts first or food first

Families split on this, and you can plan around either habit. What matters is that the oven works while nobody is watching it.

• Gifts first: Put the bake in as the first present is opened. By the time the paper is on the floor, the kitchen smells right. Hungry children can have a piece of fruit to hold them.
• Food first: Keep it small, so nobody sits at the table staring at the tree. A board or a bar works best here.
• Stockings, then brunch, then gifts: With teenagers who sleep late, this splits the morning well and gives the bake time to finish.

Whichever you choose, set the coffee up the night before.

What to do the night before

The rule from the good planning guides is to work back from your serving time. Christmas Eve is busy, so do these in a quiet half hour before dinner or after the children are asleep.

1. Assemble the bake. Cover it and put it straight in the fridge.
2. Cut the fruit. Cover it and chill it.
3. Set the table or counter. Plates, forks, mugs and napkins all go out.
4. Load the coffee maker. Set out tea and hot cocoa beside it.
5. Write the note. Tape the oven temperature and bake time to the fridge.
6. Check the oven. Make sure both dishes fit, and that nothing is stored inside it.

Keeping egg dishes safe

Overnight assembly is a standard method, as long as the dish stays cold. FightBAC, the Partnership for Food Safety Education, has its breakfast casserole covered and chilled overnight, then baked until a food thermometer reads 160°F. University of Illinois Extension’s egg food safety tips agree on the 160°F for casseroles and quiches.

The same Illinois tips say eggs should not stay out of the fridge for more than two hours. On a slow gift morning, that clock is easy to lose. Set a phone timer when the dish comes out of the oven, and put the rest away when it sounds.

A morning timeline you can copy

Bake times vary with your dish and your oven, and a thermometer has the final word. This sample assumes a dish that bakes for about an hour and a 10:30 sit-down, and you can slide it earlier or later.

1. First one up: Coffee on. Oven on to preheat.
2. 9:15: Bake goes in. Gifts begin.
3. 10:15: Check the center with a thermometer.
4. 10:30: Fruit and sides go out, and everyone sits down.
5. 11:00: Anyone leaving for the slopes goes now.
6. 12:00: Remaining food goes back in the fridge, inside the two hours.

Baking from scratch? Yeast doughs and cakes behave differently up here, so read our high altitude baking tips for a rental kitchen first, or simply buy the pastries.

Christmas brunch for a crowd in one kitchen

Feeding 12 in a rental is a different job from feeding four. One oven is the limit, so plan around it.

• Use two pans, not one deep one. Shallow dishes bake more evenly, and you can run them on two racks.
• Stick to one hot dish. Everything else on the table can be cold or at room temperature.
• Limit the sweets. One planning guide suggests no more than two or three baked goods, since the holiday already leans sweet.
• Assign jobs. Our guide on how to cook for a large group in a rental kitchen covers sharing one oven.
• Ask about diets now. Our guide to a dinner party with dietary restrictions has a simple way to ask, and it works just as well in the morning.

Fitting in the skiers and leaving room for dinner

Not everyone will wait for 10:30. If someone wants first chair on Christmas Day, give them a quick breakfast and save a plate. Our guide to what to eat before skiing has ideas, and check the resort’s hours for the day rather than assuming.

Keep brunch on the light side if the big meal is tonight. Portions can be smaller than at dinner, so several small dishes go further than you would expect. Our guide to Christmas dinner in a Breckenridge vacation rental covers the evening, and if you are here for the new year as well, our New Year’s Day brunch plan suits a slower morning after a late night.

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