Imagine having three grandchildren ages 11 months, two years and four years old and then, BOOM! Almost tripling that amount to eight in just three years! That’s what Pam and Cliff Hogan’s family did. Not only did that happen, but just two of their four children made that happen. There have been no twins born in their family for five generations until their daughters, Colleen Walters and Maureen Smith, each delivered a boy/girl set, just nine months apart. Mrs. Walters had her first baby 18 months before her twins, the first set, were born. Husbands, Brandon Walters and Reid Smith II have no known twins in their family tree. The last set of twins born in the family was the little twins’ great-great-great-grandfather’s sisters.

“I started buying them pajamas that matched and as more came along I wondered what else I could do and was trying to be financially smart. My whole thought was getting them all together to get a Christmas picture for me and to start a new Christmas tradition,” says the retired teacher. “It kind of grew into the North Pole breakfast and then into ‘The Elf on the Shelf’ breakfast.”

“The Elf on the Shelf” is a children’s book written by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell about how Santa Claus’ elves visit children between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The elves return to the North Pole with a report telling which children are naughty and which are nice. The elves stay at the North Pole until the next Christmas season. The book and elf are sold in a set.

The grandmother tries to hold the event the weekend before the first day of December and says she has gotten a lot of ideas from Pinterest.

“I made placemats with each child’s name. Everyone has the same mug, green with red polka dots or red with white polka dots. I place a small elf ornament at each place setting.”

She hangs striped socks with attached elf boots in her chimney.

“I send an invitation to each family. They (the children) have to go to the mailbox, hang the invitation on the fridge, RSVP and remember (the date),” she says. “I decided to make it a formal breakfast. I put elves outside on the porch, one to kind of represent each child.”

“When these children walk in, the table is set up with a tablecloth and they know it is something special. There is no goofing around. They just know,” says Mrs. Hogan’s mother and the children’s great grandmother, Sara Bolton.

To add a healthy touch the first year, she served red and green pepper strips, strawberries and banana slices laid out in a candy cane pattern and Santas on a skewer with green grape faces, a strawberry hat with a banana slice to represent fur trim and a miniature marshmallow tassle. Some other foods used over the past three years have been reindeer pancakes, hot cocoa and a cranberry juice mixture for a granddaughter that doesn’t like hot chocolate. Miniature marshmallows are served in decorative paper holders. Powdered sugar-coated donut holes represent snowballs. She has also served Christmas Cookie Dough Dip with strawberries, green apple slices and miniature ginger snaps, graham crackers and pretzels for dipping.

French Toast Bake will be served this year along with some elf cupcakes.

“The packages just arrive on the front porch.”

The Elf on the Shelf box is unwrapped and the story is read.

“We play picture Bingo so that the younger ones can play and play ring toss with an elf hat which becomes hysterical. They giggle and laugh,” she says. “In fact the first year the dads were going to leave to go hunting, but all stayed.”

When the grandmother found elf slippers after last year’s breakfast, she could not resist ordering them for the entire family, adults included, to wear on Christmas Eve.   

“They had a blast running around in those elf boots. The little ones cried, because their sisters were wearing the boots when they got in the car, so their father came back in to get some for the twins. When I got them back there was one missing, which was found later,” she laughed.

“I keep trying to add a little to it.” At the time of the interview she was “still dreaming up what I will do with them.”

She admitted she would probably be doing a photo booth this year for fun and entertainment.

“I have a lot of props and will let them do their own thing. The older ones can takes pictures of the younger ones,” says Mrs. Hogan.

She admits she is always looking for elf-related items when she is shopping.

“When I get into a store, I start looking for elves first.”

One year both Mrs. Hogan and her ninety year old mother, known as GG (Great-Grandmother), each wore an elf suit.

“She (GG) gets right into it. She plays games with the kids,” says granddaughter Colleen Walters. “My grandmother always did Christmas in a big way. Every Christmas she would have the fancy tablecloth and use Lenox China. She had a place setting for each grandchild. I think this is where my mom got it from.”

Each family takes away a handmade quilted good deed advent calendar with a suggestion in each pocket. Some ideas used to mark the days of December leading up to Christmas might be “share a sweet treat with a neighbor” and “write a letter to someone telling them you love them.”

“On the days when there isn’t a suggestion in the pocket, they pull a tag out of the calendar and it tells what bag to open. The bags are found in a little box (sent with each family).”

“I just love that my mom has started this fun, festive tradition for her grandchildren and for us as her children,” says Maureen Smith. “It’s so fun for all of us to share in their joy and excitement and with all the stress that comes with the holidays for parents, I’m so grateful that she helps us with this special piece.”

“The breakfast is such a memorable experience for all of us. She also goes above and beyond and helps us plan a special treat or experience for each day counting down, using the beautiful quilted advent calendar she made each family, which has become another family tradition.”

The mention of traditions triggers the other daughter’s memory.

“In the 80s my mom really got into ceramics,” says Colleen. “She made a red boot with a black sole that always sat on the fireplace and we would put our letters to Santa Claus in it. Santa would always leave us a letter on Christmas morning saying ‘Thanks for being good’ and saying things about our accomplishments, the things my mom was really proud of. After I told my husband about the boot, he told my mom and she found a boot that was similar. My husband wrapped it and gave it to me one Christmas. My mother found the same boot we had growing up and gave one to each one of us a couple of years ago. I try to do that now with my kids and write them a letter on Christmas Day. I’m probably not as creative as my mother was.”

Mrs. Walters goes on to say, “My mom has always been extremely creative. Whenever there’s a special moment she always adds special touches. When I went to states my mom and dad had won a limousine ride, but gave it to our girls’ track team. She decorated our house when my babies were born, blue balloons for my son and pink and blue balloons for the twins.”

“The Elf on the Shelf breakfast is the kick-off to the magic season,” says Mrs. Walters.

The hostess likes quilting and sewing.

“I get handed a lot of stuff to repair, but I give a lot to my mother to mend. She does good handwork.”

Mrs. Hogan taught first grade at Salamanca’s Prospect Elementary School and her husband retired from teaching Physical Education at Portville Central School. The mothers of the twins and their brother, Tommie Hogan, live in Randolph. Their sister, Kathleen lives in Pendleton, New York. GG shares the Hogan’s Killbuck, New York home with her daughter and son-in-law.

Best Ever Creamy Crockpot Cocoa

1 Ç c heavy whipping cream

1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

6 c milk

1 ¢ tsp vanilla

2 c chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Pour all ingredients into a crockpot and whisk together until well combined. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Whisk well before serving. Garnish with marshmallows.

Christmas Cookie Dough Dip

5 T butter, room temperature

2 oz cream cheese, room temperature

¢ c vanilla Greek yogurt

¢ tsp vanilla extract

¢ c powdered sugar

† c flour

¢ c sprinkles

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add yogurt and extract and whip until combined. Slowly add sugar while running electric mixer on low speed. Do the same for flour. Whip until fluffy. Stir in sprinkles. Serve with strawberries, apple slices, gingersnaps and pretzels.

French Toast Bake

1 loaf sourdough bread

8 eggs

¢ c heavy cream

2 c milk

™ tsp salt

å c sugar

2 T vanilla

¢ c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¢ flour

¢ c butter, room temperature

Grease a 13″x9″ pan. Slice bread and line pan with it. Mix together eggs, cream, milk, salt, sugar and vanilla. Pour over bread. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Cut in butter until crumbs form. Sprinkle over egg/bread layer. Bake at 350 degrees until set and golden brown around edges. Serve with maple syrup.

Reindeer Pancakes

For each reindeer-

1 large pancake

1 small pancake

2 medium oval-shaped pancakes

2 chocolate sandwich cookies

¢ red maraschino cherry

2 slices bacon, fried crisp

Arrange large pancake in middle of a dinner plate (head). Center small pancake on top with half hanging off lower pancake (muzzle). Tuck bacon strips under center top of large pancake, with several inches hanging out (antlers). Position oval pancakes at an angle to right and left of antlers (ears). Set cookies about 2 inches below antlers (eyes) and center cherry on small pancake (nose). Serve with maple syrup.