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Mine is cinnamon leaves-- a recipe of my grandmother's that is similar to Monkey Bread in that it's pieces of dough rolled in butter, sugar and cinnamon and then arranged in a pan to bake. Where monkey bread is usually pre-made biscuit dough and is shaped into balls, cinnamon leaves are a yeasted dough and the pieces are flattened into "leaves" and arranged standing side-by-side all around a tube pan and then left to rise before baking.

Mmm. Christmas morning, sticky buns made from frozen bread loaves, butterscotch pudding, butter, cinnamon, and walnuts. It is so bad for me, but I eat so much on Christmas morning and can't feel guilty because it is so good. I can't wait for more this year!

luswim06 - that is exactly what I was going to say as well, Except ours is made with pecans and vanilla pudding. Soooooo good, thankfully it's only once a year.

When I was a kid my Serbian grandmother used to roast a whole piglet for Orthodox Christmas, (Jan 7th). She also used to have pomegranates around at that time of year.

On Christmas morning, right after opening presents, we always have creamed dried beef over toast. It's so rich, but somehow I always make room for my aunt's nacho sausage dip that afternoon.

maroc clementines. my mom inevitably buys a box in mid november and they get chucked into the bottom of the fridge. if we don't eat every single last one before christmas they end up in our stockings. this year i am determined that that won't happen. heaven help me if she buys a second box.

Ribbon candy.
Even though I don't really eat it, it just belongs to Christmas as much as the tree and lights. I love seeing it piled up in a bowl for others to nibble on - it brings me back to my childhood Chrismases!

clementines, pomegranates, and cookies of all sorts (especially the super-nutty and buttery).

Also, my mom's chicken salad (with walnuts, tarragon, red pepper, celery for some christmas-colored cheer), her cinnamon "up and down" biscuits (strips of biscuit dough spread with melted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, stacked on top of each other, then sliced into squares and baked in a muffin tin), and my dad's orange bread (a slightly sweet soft bread made with orange zest and juice - perfect when thinly sliced, toasted, and spread with butter on christmas morning!)

Sugar cookies baking, candy dishes filled with ribbon candy, those hard raspberry candies and the ones shaped like peanuts with peanut butter filling, clementines and the bowl of nuts with the nutcracker and little sharp tongs that no one ever seems to eat!

Slightly burned chex mix made by my grandmother. No one else can make it like she does...possibly because I've figured out by observation that she uses more butter than the recipe calls for!

Movie theater popcorn with butter.

(We almost always go out to the movies on Christmas night, after group festivities have ended.)

During the day itself? Let's just say we don't give my brother-in-law any other task but to bring cheeses and breads. THIS he does brilliantly.

Ebelskivers, danish sour cream and cardamom pancakes. They are about an inch and half two inch balls. You make in a special pan then after they are cooked you open them up and put more sour cream and applesauce or jam in them. my favorite is raspberry. One batch makes mountains of them. We always make two batches though the second batch is just for me and my brother.

Jennywren - I too love Ebelskivers! (Although I've only made them once...)

Pfeffernuesse, sugar cookies with a butter-creme frosting, smoked oysters, and duck like a pig (Mario's version of course!)