During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will present staff favorites from the holiday season. This sixth edition will not include geese-a-laying, but beloved Christmas songs, movies, recipes, quotes, and festivities.
Song of the day: “Jingle Bell Rock” – written and performed by Bobby Helms
Movie of the day:
A Christmas Carol, released in 1951, is based on Charles Dickens’ classic book of the same name. The story describes Ebeneezer Scrooge, a bitter businessman with a strong hatred of Christmas, and his encounter with the three ghosts of Christmas. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future visit Scrooge and teach him compassion and the joy of Christmas.
Recipe of the day: Strawberries and Cream Santas
This recipe makes 16 strawberry Santas.
Ingredients:
One pint of fresh strawberries
One cup of heavy whipping cream
One tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar
32 mini-chocolate chips
Steps:
- Cut off the stem of the strawberries so they can stand up on a plate. Slice the tip off of each strawberry to make the “hat.” Set the strawberries aside.
- Using a stand mixer, beat the whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar together until soft peaks form. To test if the whipped cream is ready, lift your beater or whisk straight up: the whipped cream should form soft mounds.
- Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream on top of the strawberry base for the Santa faces and beards. Set the piece cut from the tip of the strawberry onto the cream to make the hat.
- Add a dot of whipped cream, using a toothpick, on top of the hat for the pom-pom, and place two dots on the strawberry base for buttons on the coat.
- Place two mini chocolate chips on the face for eyes.
DIY of the day: Christmas Tree Piñata Ornaments
Supplies:
Cardstock
Metallic streamers
Scissors
Double-sided tape
A 20-centimeter piece of colored string tied into a circle
Confetti, candy, or small gifts to place inside the piñata
Piñata template (See below. Open the image in a new window or tab in your Internet browser to access it at full size)
Steps:
- Print the piñata template and cut it out.
- Either fold the cardstock in half and cut the template on the fold or trace around the template twice with the center line running diagonally across the base and cut out the whole design.
- Fold the card stock along all of the lines drawn on the template.
- Stick double-sided tape onto the tabs.
- Close three sides of the pyramid by sticking the tabs onto the inside of the pyramid.
- Fill the pyramid with confetti, candy, or small gifts. Place the knotted string onto the top of the pyramid so the loop hangs out of the top, then use the double-sided tape to close the last side of the pyramid.
- To create the fringe on the pyramid, cover the base with a square of the metallic streamers. Then, cut the streamers vertically, stopping at the middle of the strip.
- Finally, using double-sided tape, stick the streamers to the pyramid in layers starting at the bottom and work up to the top.
Quote of the day: “Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” – Oren Arnold
Festivies around the world: Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen bustles with activities to do and places to go during the holiday season. Some local Christmas favorites are the Copenhagen Zoo and the ice rink at Fredriksberg Runnel. However, the Christmas market at Tivoli Gardens is a favorite holiday tradition for Copenhageners and city visitors, according to visitcopenhagen.com. The Garden’s evening light shows, roller coasters, amusement rides, and live music events provide entertainment for kids and grown-ups alike. According to tivoligardens.com, a traditional choir parade fills the garden with candlelight and music December 13.
A multitude of shops and stands along the canal provide Christmas shoppers with festive crafts, stocking stuffers, and traditional Nordic goodies such as hot apple dumplings and klejners, giant Christmas cookies. The most popular sightseeing locations at the market are the Royal Copenhagen Christmas Tables. These traditional tables, which have stood in the Tivoli Gardens Christmas market every year since 1963, each display a different Christmas scene. Notable artists redesign and decorate the tables each year. The tables are exhibited on the first and second floors of the Royal Copenhagen flagship store.
-Daisy Steinthal, Staff Writer and Nina Rosenblum, Staff Writer