During the 12 days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This fourth edition will not include four calling birds, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and activities.
Song: “Jingle Bells” performed by Mr. Frank Sinatra.
Recipe: Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Total Time: 50 minutes
Quantity: Nine cookies
Ingredients:
- One cup of butter at room temperature
- Three-quarter cup of icing sugar, sifted
- One-quarter teaspoon of salt
- One-half teaspoon of vanilla
- Two cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
- One-half cup of Italian raspberry jam
- Extra flour for rolling out the dough
- Extra icing sugar for dusting
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, icing sugar, salt, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Continuing with the stand mixer, add flour to the mixture until just combined. At this point, a ball of dough will begin to form.
- Remove the dough from the stand mixer, and knead with your hands until a full ball forms, about one minute. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the dough to harden, making it easier to roll out.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, adding extra flour to your rolling surface and rolling pin if the dough begins to stick. Roll out to one-quarter inch thickness.
- Using a three-inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circle shapes, re-roll, and cut scraps.
- Using a one-and-one-half-inch Christmas cookie cutter, cut out a circle in the center of half the cookies.
- Arrange the whole and cutout cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake on the top and bottom racks, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until the edges are lightly golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool.
- Spread jam over the bottom of each whole cookie. Dust icing sugar over cutout cookies. Place on the cookie with jam filling, sugar side up.
Movie: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
“A young reindeer Rudolph lives at the North Pole. His father is one of Santa’s reindeer, and it is expected that Rudolph will eventually be one too. However, he has a feature that is a setback and causes him to be ostracized: his red nose,” courtesy of imdb.com.
Activity: Beaded Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes
Supplies:
- Two pipe cleaners
- 30-36 pony beads
- Six snowflake beads
- One rhinestone sticker
Steps:
- Gather your supplies
- Start by taking two six-inch pipe cleaner pieces and crossing them at their midpoints. Take the right side and wrap it tightly around the top to the left side. Then, take the left side and wrap it tightly around the top to the right side. As long as you go over the top, once with the left and once with the right, they will stay in place securely. Add in the third pipe cleaner and do the same thing. Shape the pipe cleaners so the space between each point is even.
- Start sliding on the pony beads and pushing them to the center. Use six pony beads per side. Then, add one snowflake bead to each of the ends. Take each pipe cleaner end, bend it over, and poke the end into the middle of the snowflake bead, pushing it through enough to keep it in place. If it is big enough, open the little loop at the end a bit to help keep the beads from sliding off.
- Then, add a medium-sized sticker rhinestone to the middle where all the pipe cleaners cross. Push it in place, and you are done.
Memory: Ms. Danielle Adiletta
“My favorite Christmas tradition is my family’s Christmas Eve celebration. Christmas Eve is the only major holiday that was hosted at my house growing up. My mom prepares her own take on the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes. The deep fryer is going all day long, preparing for the event. It is probably my favorite meal of the year. Growing up, I was the youngest kid at the party. My older cousins would help me write a letter to Santa and prepare his milk and cookies (and carrots for the reindeer). We would also watch A Christmas Story on a loop all night. Attached is a picture of me on my very first Christmas Eve. I cherish the Christmas Eve memories from growing up, and I am so happy my parents continue to host for my family!”
Featured Image by Caitlin Leahy ’25
