Christmas Traditions and the Best Grits Breakfast Casserole Ever {recipe}

We have a peculiar special tradition in our family, and I think it must be a Southern thing. Since I can remember, every year on Christmas Eve and Christ Day, we try to be the first one to say "Christmas Eve Gift!" or "Christmas Gift!" to each other.

My dad always said that if you "got" the other person, he or she was supposed to give you a gift. (No gifts are ever exchanged, just braggin' rights for a year!)

I still have fond memories of my grandmother calling each year and trying to "get" us. It was even more fun when we were together on those special days. We would wake up and try to be the first with our gleeful shouts of "Christmas Eve Gift!" or "Christmas Gift!"

This tradition has resulted in phone calls just past midnight to "catch" my mom or dad in their sleep only to hear an enthusiastic "Christmas Eve Gift!" at the other end of the line, or having my kids to answer the phone so that I can pick up another line and shout out the words before anyone notices I'm on the line. 

In our 21 years of marriage, my husband has "gotten" me one time, and I love passing on the tradition to my girls. My daughters spend the night with my parents the night before Christmas Eve, and this year when I woke up on the morning of Christmas Eve I noticed my youngest daughter had called me at 12:03am and left a voicemail. It could only mean one thing, and of course I didn't listen to it! :)

After some Googling, I've found that there are other families with the "Christmas Eve Gift" tradition (although I've only known two other people outside of my extended family with this tradition.) Here's a link with A LOT of families with the tradition.

Another tradition is the Grits Breakfast Casserole that I make for Christmas morning. I love being able to make it ahead of time, pull it out Christmas morning and let it warm in the oven while we open gifts. 

The recipe is from the Laurel Hill Plantation Bed & Breakfast near Charleston, South Carolina. I printed it from the 1st Traveler's Choice Virtual Cookbook in November 2000, and have made it every year but one since then.

Ingredients:
2 lbs bulk sausage
1 cup raw grits, cooked
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1-1/2 C milk
1/2 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Brown and drain sausage and crumble in bottom of 9 x 13-inch greased casserole dish. Cook grits according to package directions (stiff is better than runny.) Add butter and cheese to cooked grits. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together and add to the slightly cooled grits mixture. Pour over sausage in the casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

What Christmas traditions do you celebrate at your home?