During the 12 days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season.  This seventh edition will not include seven swans a-swimming, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and crafts.

Song: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” performed by Mr. Andy Williams.

Recipe: Cardamom Butter Crescents

Total Time: One hour

Quantity: Five dozen crescents

Ingredients:

• Three and one-half cups of all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling out the dough
• Two teaspoons of ground cardamom
• One teaspoon of kosher salt
• Three and one-half (or 14 ounces) sticks of unsalted butter
• One and one-fourth cups of confectioners’ sugar, plus a little extra for dusting 
• Two large egg whites
• One-fourth cup of sliced almonds

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray two baking sheets with oil or line them with parchment.
• Add flour, cardamom, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together.
• Beat butter and sugar on the low speed of an electric mixer, until the mixture is well combined.
• To the wet ingredients, add egg whites and beat them together until well combined.
• Then pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix them together until the batter is evenly mixed. 
• Divide the batter into eight equal pieces.
• Roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface into a three-fourth inch thick log.
• With a sharp knife, slice off three-inch pieces. 
• With each three-inch piece (one at a time), roll both ends so they become thin and form a crescent shape.
• Place the crescent onto the baking sheets and repeat until all the dough has been used (place the crescents one inch apart from one another). 
• Press one almond into the center of each cookie.
• Bake for ten to 14 minutes or until the cookies look golden brown.
• Cool and dust the cookies with the remaining confectioners’ sugar and enjoy.

Movie: Spirited

“Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits.  But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present, and future.  For the first time, A Christmas Carol is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale,” courtesy of movieinsider.com.

Craft: Holiday Candy Pots

Supplies:

• Mini flower pots 
• Paint 
• Paint brushes 
• Googly eyes
• Pipe Cleaner
• Felt
• Ribbon or other embellishments 
• Hot glue or craft glue 
• Candy

Instructions:

• Start by painting the pot and lettering it dry. 
• Add the embellishments (such as Rudolph’s nose if doing a reindeer, or button eyes if doing a snowman) using hot glue.
•  Then fill the pots with candy and enjoy.

Memory: Avery Kim ’24

“My favorite Christmas memory is going to the Katonah Tree Lighting with my sister, parents, and aunt.  Each year, my town gathers to welcome the holiday season by lighting one of the biggest Christmas trees in New York state.  We celebrate with hot chocolate, homemade cookies, caroling, and a raffle to determine who gets to flip the switch to turn the lights on.  I can’t remember a year when we didn’t watch this special event as a family.”

Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25