During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will continue its tradition of presenting staff favorites from the holiday season.  This first edition will not include a partridge in a pear tree, but beloved Christmas songs, recipes, movies, crafts, and memories.

Song: “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” performed by Mariah Carey.

Recipe: Sugar Cookie Christmas Ornaments

• Total Time:
  • One hour

    

• Quantity:
  • 50 cookies
• Ingredients:
  • Two and three-fourths cups of all-purpose flour
  • One-half teaspoon of baking powder
  • One-fourth teaspoon of kosher salt
  • One cup of butter, unsalted
  • Three-fourths cup of granulated sugar
  • One large egg
  • One and one-half teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
  • Three large egg whites
  • One-half teaspoon of cream of tartar
  • 16 ounces of confectioners’ sugar
  • Sanding sugar, for decorating
• Steps
  • 1) Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • 2) Beat butter and sugar until combined.  Beat in egg and then vanilla.
  • 3) Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until incorporated.  Shape dough into four disks and roll each between two sheets parchment paper to one-fourth of an inch thick.  Chill until firm, 30 minutes in refrigerator or 15 minutes in freezer.
  • 4) Heat oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using floured cookie cutters, cut out cookies.  If desired, use straw to make holes in tops of cookies for hanging.  Place on prepared sheets.  Reroll, chill, and cut scraps.
  • 5) Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown around edges, for ten to 12 minutes.  Let cool on sheets five minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
  • 6) Make Royal Icing: Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until foamy, about one minute.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until just incorporated.  Increase speed to high and beat until medium-stiff glossy peaks form, five to seven minutes.  Tint as desired with gel food coloring.
  • 7) Decorate as desired with icing and sanding sugar.

Movie: The Santa Clause

“Scott Calvin is a divorced father whose strained relationship with his son, Charlie, begins to mend only after a bizarre twist of fate transforms him into the new Santa.  When the current Mr. Clause falls off the roof on Christmas Eve, Scott dons Santa’s suit, and he and his son are whisked off to the North Pole.  There he meets Bernard, the head elf, who tells him about the Clause, a contract stating that whoever puts on the Santa suit must also take on all the responsibilities that go with the position. Scott isn’t too thrilled about his sudden career change. Charlie, however, is overjoyed,” courtesy of movies.disney.com.

Craft: Homemade Garland Card Holder

• Supplies:
  • Old wooden hanger
  • Clothespins
  • Christmas garland
  • Hot glue gun
• Instructions:
  • 1) Cut three pieces of the garland to the desired length.
  • 2) Wrap the top of each garland around the wooden hanger, secure each piece with hot glue, and leave them to dry.
  • 3) Hang it up on the wall and use clothespins to secure the cards.

Memory: Isabelle Pipher ’21

“My favorite Christmas tradition is watching a Christmas movie with my family on Christmas Eve.  It is such a great way to get into the holiday spirit and spend time with my family as well.  We all sit around, drink hot chocolate, and eat cookies.  We love funny movies so some of our favorites are Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, or The Holiday.”

Featured Image by Leah Allen ’22