Holiday Tradition - Breakfast for my Valentines!

While walking around Green Lake in the rain with a few good friends, we began to talk about family traditions; especially during holidays.  I love tradition.  My mother was really great about keeping tradition alive in my childhood, as well as, keeping childhood magical and exciting.
My 'gal pals' and I reminisced about our own childhood memories and those traditions that made holidays extra special.  When I began my own family, I continued many and created new ones unique to my family. 
One of those is Holiday Breakfasts.  I guess it started because I am a better breakfast chef than dinner chef.  But when you have little children, it is easier to get things decorated at night.  During the day, there is no time for the extra touches and, if there was time, they would be sure to destroy my work before dinner arrived.
Even more fun (for me) is seeing their faces as they see the decorated table first thing in the morning and wonder how all this happened while they slept- mommy is full of magical powers to preschoolers.
So this year, as I still have the magical powers in the eyes of my children, I stayed up late the eve of Valentine's Day and set the table for the Holiday Breakfast.  Left over red and white wrapping paper laid the foundation and I tediously cut out cardstock hearts, hearts out of red napkins and laid their Valentines cards sent by the grandparents under their silverware.  Holiday Breakfasts have to be special- so our special dishes and glass cup and saucers come out of the cupboard and I calmly supervise my little ones drinking out of heirloom glass.  With little money and reusing materials, Holiday Breakfasts are unique and the shared experience is a gift in itself.