Breakfast with Santa

It depends. Are you trying to go for a "normal" weekend, family-style, big breakfast kind of meal, which (in the U.S.) might include pancakes, french toast, or waffles; fried eggs; bacon, sausage, ham, or (in the mid-Atlantic) scrapple; toast or biscuits; grits (in the South); orange juice; and coffee? Or are you looking for more of a brunch-type, entertaining-company meal, which might include anything from a breakfast casserole (usually eggs and sausage, maybe cheese, although I've also seen things more like a bread pudding) to fresh sweet rolls (e.g., cinnamon rolls), made-to-order omelets, corned-beef hash, hash-brown potatoes...

You could incorporate eggnog into french toast batter or a bread pudding to go for a Christmas flavor.

For "healthier" (by which I'm guessing you mean nutrient-dense foods without a lot of added fat and sugar) choices, you could offer oatmeal with mix-ins/toppings like canned pumpkin, dried fruit, and nuts. I like to add tomatoes, bell peppers, and/or onions to the skillet when cooking eggs, potatoes, etc. Ham and bacon (if you cook it crisp) are leaner breakfast meat options than most sausage. Baked (or pan-fried) apples, maybe with a bit of streusel-style topping (pecans, a little flour, sugar, butter)?

Idea for pancakes to be a little healthier is to mash a banana with 1 or 2 eggs. You then just cook this like a regular pancake. Eggs with bacon, sausage or ham, hashbrowns and wheat toast is another option. There is also stuffed french toast, waffles, muffins, oatmeal. Sausage gravy and biscuits. I have a great recipe for a Garden Vegetable frittata which is a little healther. These are a few different breakfast ideas I have used. You can add some sliced fruit for or chopped fruit as a side type of dish also, hope this helps.

I always imagined that Santa would have waffles with ice cream, with eggs and bacon on the side...

Totally not healthy, but we do biscuits and gravy if we're all able to get together on Christmas morning. We eat it 1-2 times a year, so it's guilt free in that regard.

Sorry to hear about your dad. Mine passed 7 years ago and the holidays are still tough without him. I hope you are able to enjoy the time as a family.

Cinnamon rolls are my families traditional Christmas breakfast

Sorry about your loss. I hope you have a nice time with your family during holiday.

Hey Jess, good for you for planning a safe meal for yourself but also spending time with family. I know that holidays and the food involved can be stressful for people with anorexia. And I'm very sorry for your loss. Losing a parent is really tough.

Since you enjoy baking, something like scones might be fun to make. Or maybe a breakfast-y bread pudding. You can supplement the baked item with some bacon and fresh fruit and good coffee. That would be a wonderful Breakfast with Santa to me!

I made this this week and it was heavenly. It didn't keep well so it's not practical for just myself and my husband but if you've got a group it would work great.

http://www.littlehouseliving.com/cream-cheese-danish.html

I'm also a huge fan of making scones, muffins, and other breakfast carbs.

Maybe look into baking bread.

I find that very therapuetic and the smell is wonderful.

Christmas breakfast to me is always smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Not sure if that's a thing in America?

I was literally about to write the last couple of sentences myself. But then, I'm not American either. Smoked salmon and scambled eggs goes lovely with fresh-baked wholemeal bread, lightly toasted with butter.

OP, I'm sorry for your loss. And good luck with whatever you decide to cook for your Breakfast with Santa.