If you're making a checklist for Christmas morning, it should include cozy pajamas and slippers, a good Christmas playlist, maybe a cracking fire, and mugs of warm cocoa. Now all you need is some breakfast to get the morning started. We believe Christmas morning recipes should either be made ahead or easy enough to throw together so you don't miss out on opening presents. Here are the best recipes to make for a joyful and delicious Christmas morning.

Coffee, Cocoa, and Mimosas

You know exactly how Christmas morning is going if you're a parent. One of your children is going to wake everyone up at about 5 a.m. and it's going to be unwrapping go-time. You're going to need coffee and possibly a Champagne cocktail in between installing double A batteries. Keep cocoa on deck for the kiddos.

Pancakes and Waffles

Both pancakes and waffles require a little more hands-on effort than baked goods or casseroles, but if you're feeding a very small crowd who can muster the patience to wait for presents or pancakes, these are our favorites.

Sticky Buns and Sweet Casseroles

My mom made the same Joy of Cooking cinnamon buns every Christmas morning of my childhood. The ingenious nature of this recipe was that it allowed her to prepare breakfast the night before and proof and bake the buns while we opened presents, almost perfectly timing their sweet perfume to the moment we came out of our present-induced stupor with hungry bellies.

Bacon and Savory Egg Casseroles

Back to your Christmas morning checklist — bacon is on it, right? Bringing a plate of bacon to the coffee table and nibbling bites between cups of coffee and cocoa is about the most brilliant breakfast appetizer you can dish up while you wait for your breakfast casserole to bake.