Several years ago, I thought it would be smart to find something to cook for breakfast that I could make in advance for Christmas morning. I wanted breakfast to be more than the regular fare, but also something that wouldn’t take a cook away from the gift-giving festivities. The solution? Porridge cooked overnight in the crockpot!

The recipe consisted of whole grains: pearl barely, oatmeal, wheat germ, and who knows what else. The concoction cooked on low in the crockpot all night, and by morning, the convenient, healthy, and inviting Christmas Porridge had become sticky, tasteless, inedible Christmas Gruel. I promised the kids I’d never serve it again. And so, the Christmas tradition that must not be repeated was born.

Here’s how it works. Each year on Christmas eve, the adults in the family take turns making something to eat (not necessarily a breakfast food). The only rule is we can’t make the dish again, even if we like it. Over the years we’ve had:

• Fried Pies
• figgy pudding
• stollen
• sugar plums
• gofres (I had these sugary waffles in Spain with warm chocolate sauce poured over them. But they originate from Belgium. )
• gingerbread cake with lemon sauce.

It’s my sister’s turn this year. She introduced us to stackers—chocolate wafers (like you eat with ice cream) layered with red and green colored cool whip. YUM!