My moms birthday falls between Christmas and New years and this years was her 60th! Growing up my mom worked and we went to school, so Saturdays were always our special days off together that we got to sleep in and spend quality time talking around the kitchen table for hours. So when it came time to planing her birthday, my sisters and I thought, she would love a big ol’ brunch spread at home!
Clotted cream, brown sugar toasted pecans, frothed creamer, and four different jams make for the perfect holiday spread!
To elevate our basic brunch table I wanted to add in festive holiday elements that are festive without being too much.
So I went with some classic candy cane napkin rings from World Market (might have caught them on the after Christmas sale 😉)
Paired with the Wilder plate set from Crate and Barrel, you can shop the plates here!
I picked up some delicate glass straws from TJ Maxx that added the most subtle Christmas touch to the table. 
Originally I was going to set up champagne glasses for mimosas and add bows to the glasses, like I’ve been seeing all over the internet. But let’s be real, we don’t want alcohol in the morning. We want loads of COFFEE. Our obsession with coffee inspired me to tie on the cute red bows on the handles of the coffee mugs, and boy did they turn out CUTE!
To add the perfect finishing touch to our simple and festive table scape, I hand painted everyone’s name on watercolor paper to add that extra personal touch!
My mom loved them so much she took all of them home with her at the end of the party to keep as a little memory from the party!
Flower arrangements were a simple red white and green bouquet I picked up from Trader Joe’s. I had 3 matching round vases stored in my basement and that finally got put to good use!
I also forgot to take pictures, but I found a Christmas bingo game that we played together after brunch and then I gave away the flowers as prizes for winning bingo! 
Now let’s get to the brunch menu.
my aunt was so impressed with the spread I put out but it was actually so incredibly easy and took me less than 30 min to make everything.
no stress, no hassle, giving us more time to be present with each other and not slaving away in the kitchen for hours.
So my secret to easy cooked brunch was casseroles.
I made three total:
The first casserole was savory with croissants 🥐 egg, prochuto, cheese and jalapeños.
The second one was a French toast casserole with the Trader Joe’s cinnamon swirl bread, topped with candied pecans and blueberries. And the third was a plain French toast.
Lox bites
raspberry Danishes
Home made scones with clotted cream and an assortment of jams
Power of Purple Juice from TJ
OJ
and Coffee with frothed cream, cinnamon & maple syrup.
and I’m sure lots more random little goodies and snacks!
That’s what I love about hosting a brunch at home, there’s so much room to get creative and go crazy with the menu cause why not 😇!
RECIPE for Savory Casserole:
4 croissants cut each into 4 small pieces
12 eggs scrambled
1cup heavy whipping cream
1 table spoon vanilla
Pinch Salt, pepper and smoked paprika
1 pack of Prochuto
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños (optional)
4 tbs butter
2 tbs honey
Use a 12 inch casserole baking pan
1. Scramble in the eggs in the baking pan with whipping cream, vanilla, Salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
2. Mix together well then add in cut up croissants and cover them with the egg mixture.
3. roll prochuto into little roses, and place in between the croissants.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and place jalapeños across the top.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 min. Uncover with 10 minutes left to brown the top.
6. Melt butter on stovetop with honey and brush on top before serving.
LOX Bites
These little things were such a crowd pleaser. Everyone LOVED THESE!
ingredients:
1 pack of smoked salmon chopped into small squares
1 pack of cream cheese (8oz)
1 mini Chopped cucumber into small pieces
1/2 red onion chopped finely
2 tbs capers chopped
1tsp caper juice
sprinkle dill, salt and pepper.
Chop finely and mix all the ingredients together and serve on everything seasoning crackers from Trader Joe’s. And Enjoy! 
Nothing beats the traditional red and green for Christmas! I love how the Folegandros paintings are adding to the festive joy to the atmosphere.
As much as I selfishly love having these paintings in my own home, I would love for you to have them in yours! Click here to view available originals from the Folegandros Collection. And read more about the meaning behind the paintings here!
That’s all for now my loves!
I hope this post inspires you to host your own special holiday brunch! And remember the 12 days of Christmas start on December 25th so you still have a few days of Christmas left to continue the celebrations!
Sending you lots of love!
XO,
Christina
