We had our second annual Pancakes & Pajamas party last night to celebrate my brother's birthday. This has to be my most favourite tradition... my immediate family (parents, siblings, and their kids) gather at my house the week before Christmas. We all put on our pajamas and indulge in hot chocolate sipping, gingerbread house building, and a delicious breakfast for dinner spread.

We enjoyed this baked egg dish; this make-ahead deep dish blueberry French toast; cupcakes (using our all-time favourite cake recipe) and other yummy dishes. But aside from all the good food and sugary treats, what I love most is to spend some quality time with my family just, well, being a family. The older I get, the more I appreciate the rare moments like this when we're all together and get to enjoy each other's company.

I'm looking forward to more of these moments over the next week. I hope your days are filled with the same.

***

If you find yourself with some down time over the holidays, be sure to come back and visit next week. I have a very very VERY exciting giveaway to announce (my biggest one all year!) and I have some fabulous bloggers lined up participating in the 2012 Great Reads tour. You can check out the 2010 and 2011 tours here for more great reads.