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Volume 32, Issue 3| December 2011 | Convent of the Sacred Heart | Greenwich, CT

FEATURES SPORTS ARTS

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Oh, Christmas tree

Sacred Heart’s ski bunnies

Santa’s trail of cookie crumbs

NEWS

“To ride a reindeer. I would go to the North Pole and go sledding with my sister and my Mom and my Dad.”- Pre-kindergarten student, Sofia Latrille

“Magic powers, so I could make homework disappear.” - Kindergarten student, Gabriella El-Masry

“A pet butterfly, because they're beautiful. I would name it Sparkles and would buy it some leaves and flowers to play with.” - First-grade student, Zoe Haggenmiller

“For Santa to banish homework forever.” - Second-grade student, Ann Radtke

“An iPod touch, maybe with apps like Doodle Jump. It is my favorite game. I play it all the time.” - Third-grade student, Melanie Gonzalez

“A dog, because they’re really cute and playful and fun.” - Fourth-grade student, Caroline Badagliaca

“To go to Florida, because it is warm there.” - Fifth grader, Mikhaila Archer

“To go to another Taylor Swift concert and get invited to her T-par-ty.” - Sixth grader, Caroline Dym

“My dad to find love again. I never get to see him because he lives in New Orleans so I want him to be happy when I’m not there.” - Seventh grader, Juliette Guice

“A sweatshirt from my brothers’ college in Spain.”- Eighth grader, Victoria Paternina

“A Facebook, so I could talk to my friends and family that I don't get to see every day.” - Freshman, Jordan Cohen

“A white Christmas. There’s something about having a fresh blan-ket of snow on the ground that makes the holiday feel so much more special.” - Sophomore, Mimi Dunn

“Time to catch up on all of my work so that I am less stressed after the break.” - Junior, Emma Leary

“A pygmy goat named Linda. I would take it for walks on a red shiny leash.” - Senior, Annie McDevitt

Behind Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spec-tacular

December 2011

The to-do list of many American con-sumers goes on like the length of Santa’s Naughty and Nice list, ringing up a stagger-ing grand total of 450 billion dollars spent on Christmas each year, according to Ad-ventconspiracy.org.

“Sure, there are a lot of expenses,” ju-nior Taylor Ryan said. “Being young, it is sometimes easy to overlook these statistics since we solely see the benefits of it as en-hancing the Christmas spirit.”

Today’s society mainly links Christmas to massive shopping sprees, extravagant decorations, and beautiful evergreen trees covered in ornaments. According to the Na-tional Christmas Tree Association, over 1.5 million dollars were spent on purchasing Christmas trees alone in 2010. In addition, according to the US census bureau, $488.5 million worth of Christmas tree ornaments were imported from China between Janu-ary and August 2010.

Junior Elizabeth Attubato said, “Though it is sad how much we spend on Christmas and we know better things could be done with the money, it would be hard to lessen the immensity of Christmas in any way.”

Another major part of Christmas is eat-ing. Due to the food and drink intake, the number of heart related deaths increases by 5% on average during the holidays, ac-cording to Chicagonow.com. 2,952 pounds of fruitcake, a traditional Christmas food,

Santa’s forecasthannah godvin ‘13

news editor

Fairfield and Westchester counties expect little snow this Christmas

Staggering bills take away the meaning of christmas

Tree that keeps on giving

On average, Americans spend 450 billion dollars on Christmas each year, according to Adventconspiracy.org

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causing major power outages throughout the state. Despite some of the problems that snow might cause, there are people who believe that not having snow during the Christmas season puts a damper on holiday cheer.

“I believe that the first sign of Christ-mas is snow,” junior Alex Jordan said. “I am always extremely disappointed when the streets are bare on Christmas morning.”

Last year, the tri-state area experi-enced a snowstorm days after Christmas, and continued to see snow fall throughout January and February.

For the past couple of years the coun-ties have not lacked snow, but unfortunate-ly snow has failed to fall during the yuletide season. However, there are people who do not mind the absence of a White Christmas.

“My fam-ily usually spends Christmas in a warmer area. Christmas spirit is present wherever you are, it does not matter what the weather is like,” freshman Jackie Urbinati said.

A l t h o u g h snowflakes may be a contributing factor to Christ-mas cheer, it does not necessarily mean Christmas cannot be enjoyed without them.

New York City’s stunning Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity after the holiday.

newsKing Street Chronicle

There are few Christmas movies and stories that take place in a setting that is not covered in sparkling, white snow. However, as November passes and the temperature continues to waver between 50 and 60 de-grees, the possibility of a white Christmas seems less and less likely.

According to weather.about.com New York City and surrounding areas have a ten percent chance of seeing one inch of snow on Christmas morning. However, this sta-tistic is based on current weather condi-tions and is subject to change.

Fairfield County has already expe-rienced a snowstorm this past October,

Christmas by the numbers

There are those who might imagine that taking a chainsaw to a tree as mag-nificent as the Rockefeller Center’s annual Christmas tree would be a somber occa-sion. However, when Rockefeller Center’s tree is demolished, the glory of the annual pine will live on long after the Christmas season has ended.

For the past five years, the wood of the tree has been turned into lumber and do-nated to Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization that builds homes for people in poverty. In previous years, the tree was ground into mulch and then donated to the Boy Scouts of America to sell. However, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Tishman Speyer, the current owner and manager of Rockefeller Center, decided that they were going to shift their charitable focus towards victims of poverty. Now, families in New York, Mississippi and Connecticut have benefited from Tishman Speyer’s generos-ity and Habitat for Humanity’s charity.

“For our family, it’s more than a tree. It’s hope. It used to be a nest for birds, but now it’s going to be a nest for me, for my family,” said Iveth Bowie, resident of a Connecticut home who benefited from the deeds of Habitat for Humanity, according to Habitat World.

Along with being a foundation for homes, the wood from the tree will be used to produce paper for a 2011 chil-dren’s book entitled, The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel. The book is a heart-warming, fictional story that brings to light where the Rockefeller tree goes once

the Christmas season ends. Habitat for Humanity hopes that the

book will bring attention to the importance of rebuilding homes for the homeless and assisting those who are impoverished.

“The touching story will help Habitat raise awareness about the critical need for affordable housing across the country,” said Cathy Collins, the director of the Habi-tat for Humanity located in Greater New-burgh, according to Habitat World.

Rockefeller tree is used to build homes for the less fortunatechloe kimberlin ‘13

staff writer

allie kenny ‘13 staff writer

compiled by maddie pillari ‘13

Nice Naughty

Gingerbread Cornbread

Reindeers Turkeys

ChristmasTrees

Pumpkins

Elves Pilgrims

Givinggifts

Giving thanks

LeggingsN o s h a v e November

Skiing TurkeyTrots

Eggnog Hot Apple Cider

Christmas gift drives

Thanksgiving food drives

was sent to the troops in Iraq around the holidays in 2010. In America, however, 47% of people said that they would throw out a fruitcake without delay, according to christmasspirit.wordpress.com.

Even the White House leads the charge in the extravagance of Christmas. The main tree is 18 feet, 6 inches tall. There are 17 decorated trees in the White House onto which there are 4,638 red ornament balls. 1,089 feet of garland adorn the first man-sion along with 269 wreaths, according to chrismasspirit.wordpress.com.

“I heard about the man last Thanksgiv-ing who got trampled at the Black Friday sales,” sophomore Margo McCloskey said. “Many of those people were probably buy-ing for Christmas which seems ironic since they are so influenced by money that they could kill a man when they are supposedly

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A dog trudges through heavy snow in last year’s January blizzard. On this Christmas forecast, there will not be a deluge of snow in time for Santa to deliver a White Christmas

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honoring their religion.” From the Black Friday sales to the Su-

per Saturday sales, Americans make their consumer marks on the holidays. 942 bil-lion dollars were spent on Free Shipping Day alone. 10.69 billion dollars were spent on Black Friday in 2010 and the spending continued through the 36.4 billion dollars that were spent online by Thursday, the day before Christmas Eve, according to retailin-dustry.about.com.

According to Forbes, an average Amer-ican family would save around 2,000 dol-lars by skipping Christmas each year, tak-ing into account gifts and travel. While skipping Christmas is not quite a plausible solution to the growing problem, accord-ing to statistics the holiday may be caus-ing more harm than good in the pockets of American consumers.

King Street Chronicle features

December 2011

Convent Christmas charactersnora henrie ‘13

staff writer

blair kennedy ‘13 staff writer

How Christmas past came to last

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The Christmas season extends from late October to early February. While car-oling, Santa, and fruitcake are commonly accepted time honored traditions, their origins are a bit mystifying. Removing the riddle from holiday festivities reveals a holiday cobbled together from generations of legend.

The Man Behind the BeardThe big man in red has become practi-

cally synonymous with the Christmas sea-son. This status did not happen overnight, but has instead been the product of centu-ries of myths and stories. Biblical histori-ans believe that the original Santa Claus was St. Nicholas, a fourth century bishop in the Asia Minor.

The story goes that St. Nick knew of three sisters whose father had lost the family fortune, and so they were without dowries. Without dow-ries, they could not find hus-bands, and without husbands, they would be forced into servitude. When Nicholas heard of their misfortune, he made a point of passing by the girls’ house three days in a row, each time toss-ing a sack of gold through their window, where it would land inside one of the girls’ stockings. When they hung the stockings to dry over the mantel, they discovered the gold and re-joiced.

From Norway’s Julenissan, Russia’s Ded Moroz and Italy’s Bab-ba Natale, to Japan’s Hoteiosho, Ha-waii’s Kanakaloka and Morocco’s Black Peter, Santa is a global figure.

Writers such as Washington Irving and Clement Clarke Moore, historian John Pintard, and illustrator Thomas Nast all helped to form the popular image of San-ta Claus. The jolly old man in the red and white suit that we picture today was popu-larized by early twentieth century Coca-Co-la ads. The Santa Claus who will be making the world-wide noel navigation deserves some props- it took a long time for him to get there.

Santa’s Little HelpersElves have been part of myths and leg-

ends for centuries. The earliest reference historians can find to elves being tied to Christmas is in Louisa May Alcott’s unpub-lished book Christmas Elves. However, it is

likely that elves had been part of Christmas legend much longer than that.

Christmas evolved from a purely re-ligious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ to a festive holiday rife with magic and fantasy. Elves are a common aspect of many different fairy tales. Something as magical as Christmas would lend itself to a platform for elfish legend.

However, Santa’s helpers are not al-ways so cheery in other Christmas legends. The Dutch version of the Christmas legend, for example, had Santa using slaves to help him deliver the toys.

Christmas CarolsCaroling at Christ-

mas has been a festive staple of Yuletide cheer since about the eigh-teenth century, but there are many differ-ent ideas about where exactly it came from.

Some say that Christmas carols started in England during the 1840’s. Peasants, upon hearing that their newly-wed mon-archs were fans of Christmas songs, went outside the royal palace and serenaded them. It soon became a tradition.

A more raucous theory is that the car-

oling tradition came to be because inebri-ated villagers had a tendency to go boister-ously from house to house singing at the top of their lungs on feast days. It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the

YearExcept, the most wonderful time of the

year actually differs from place to place. In Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated

on January 7. Celebrators traditionally dress in white. They fast the day before, and then spend the entire day of Christmas or “Ganna” in prayer. The festivities continue

12 days later, on January 19, for a three day celebration called Timkat.

In Spain, festivities begin on December 7 in France, December 8 in Spain, and in Sweden, they begin on the 13.

Australians cel-ebrate Christmas on the 25, but Christmas for them takes place, not

during the winter, but in the summer. The Food that Makes

the Feast DayIn America, the in-

famous fruitcake is a yuletide staple. Fruit-cake has actually been around since the Roman Empire. The cake was

popularized in England, and spread to America.

The tradition of spe-cial Christmas desserts

can be found in many parts of the globe.

In the Netherlands, they have the letter cake. The night before Christmas, families

make a cake in the shape of the first letter of their fam-ily name. This is eaten for breakfast the following morning, and is supposed to bring good luck.

In France, families tra-ditionally make a “bouche de Noel”, a Christmas cake made

to look like a Yule log.Denmark’s claim to fame is a large vat

of unsweetened rice pudding. Everyone has to eat as much as they can, in the hopes of coming across the almond inside. The per-son who finds the almond keeps it hidden until the entire bowl of rice pudding has been consumed, at which point they come clean, and receive a prize.

This year it might be time to put away that 10 page wish list and try humility on with Christmas Santa socks.

1. SALVATION ARMYAlthough it is famously associated with

the red bucket bell, there are multiple ways to donate and give back to the Salvation Army. Their website offers options to vol-unteer. This Christian organization is per-fect to remember the true giving nature of Christmas. 2. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

This charity’s mission is to build afford-able housing in order to provide shelter to families around the world. To get involved there are always chances to sign up to vol-unteer with the school’s local Habitat for Humanity club at Sacred Heart or give a do-nation. A simple donation of time or money can bring families home for the holidays.3. TOYS FOR TOTS

The mission of the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to col-lect new and unwrapped toys during each year, and give the toys as Christmas gifts to needy children. 4. THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

Even though this season is always full

of wishes for a white Christmas, the color red might be more important. Through the American Red Cross’ massive outreach and myriad of programs it helps thousands of people this season. A simple donation of time, blood or money could help spread a little Christmas magic all across America. 5. LOCAL FOOD KITCHENS

These local institutions always make a huge impact in the lives of others and are always in need of more food. These food banks and food kitchens are always ac-cessible and always thankful for help. In Connecticut, there are local food banks like Connecticut Food Bank and, in New York, there are food kitchens like the Regional Food Bank of northeastern New York.

Frosty the SnowmanErin Myers

Scrooge/GrinchMs. Larson

Kris KringleMr. Martone

Buddy (Elf)Mr. Cushman

Charlie Calvin (The San-ta Clause)

Mr. Padilla

Cindy Lou Who (The Grinch)

Mrs. Casey

Stannie Dum and Ol-lie Dee (March of the

Wooden Soldiers)-Ollie Dee

Mr. Grisanti-Stannie Dum

Doctor Mottolese

Mrs. ClausMrs. Collins

Sugarplum Fairy (The Nutcracker)Dr. Barbato

RudolphSam Tarde

Five charities to donate to this holiday season

compiled by liza connor ‘13

King Street Chronicle 4

Letters from the North Pole

Dear Freshmen,Elf Panarella and Elf O’Grady have been watching all of you

closely as you have been making your transition into the Upper School at Convent of the Sacred Heart. I am very impressed with your performance so far, and it looks as if you are making your-selves comfortable in the Core Center. In addition, you have all followed both the cell phone and food policies well-keep it up! However, I was tempted to give all of you coal for occasionally forgetting to clean up after yourselves in the locker room, but have no fear; your friendliness as a class has earned you all candy canes and presents from the North Pole. Mrs. Claus cannot stop talking about how delightful and refreshing it has been to witness your class’s curiosity and acceptance. Remember to never be afraid to advocate for yourselves, ask questions and enjoy find-ing the answers. My elves at Sacred Heart and I look forward to watching you all grow as a class for the next four years.

Sincerely, Santa Claus

Dear Sophomores,I almost sent a big batch of coal to you all this

Christmas for your poor cleanliness in the cafeteria. But, because your grade has the best conduct in the Core Center, Mrs. Claus convinced me not to do so. Your happiness and genuine selflessness makes the Class of 2014 stand out quite nicely in my book. My elves, Elf Panarella and Elf O’Grady, are constantly raving about your eagerness to give back to your classmates and to the Convent of the Sacred Heart community as a whole. Even with seven new addi-tions to your class, you have not failed to come to-gether as a class and accept one another. Enjoy this year while you can because next year you will have to work as hard as an elf on Christmas Eve. Be open to new ideas and adventures during the rest of your time at Sacred Heart, but most importantly, remem-ber to remain jolly.

Sincerely, Santa Claus

Chef George’s holiday recipe

Christmas season is the time to eat, play and enjoy a meal with friends and fam-ily. While eggnog, hot chocolate and spiced cider are festive drinks of the season, ev-eryone needs a dessert that tastes delicious and promotes cheer. This holiday season, celebrate with some delectable blueberry pound cake, courtesy of Convent of the Sa-cred Heart kitchen’s Food Service Director, Anthony George.

Blueberry Pound Cake * 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened * 1 cup sugar * 2 eggs * 1/2 cup milk * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping: * 2 teaspoons sugar * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:In a mixing bowl, cream butter and

sugar. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture just until combined. Gen-tly fold in blueberries. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or un-til a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes be-fore removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Santa’s holiday wishes for the Upper School

Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, Blue-berry Pound Cake is Sacred Heart Chef George’s holiday treat.

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compiled by ana roman ‘12 MakeoverChristm

as Sacred Heart gets a

Dear Juniors,My elves, Elf Panarella and Elf O’Grady, have been especially im-

pressed with your growth and maturity as you have become upperclass-men at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Although it is obvious that you all love your cell phones and out-of-uniform sweatshirts, you have all adjusted to the new responsibilities that accompany junior year with poise and confidence and that deserves merit in my book. Although at times you all may need to work on your stress level, trust that the Sacred Heart community is there for each one of you in both academic and emotional situations. Although there is room for improvement in the Core Center, you have all come such a long way and I will be sure to stuff your stockings this Christmas. Remember to stop and make a snow man every once in a while during your hectic year.

Sincerely, Santa Claus

Dear Seniors,Although you all deserve a big batch of coal for your conve-

nient negligence of yearbook deadlines, you still managed to make my Nice List. It has been an absolute joy for my elves, Elf Pan-arella and Elf O’Grady, and me to have watched you all grow into the wonderful role models you have become for the entire Upper School, even though hiding cell phones is no longer a concern for you all. I will be sending over a little coal for the locker offences, but I will also send over snowflakes for your kindness and gen-erosity and ability to work hard, but also have fun. Although you have all been kicked out of the Core Center every once in a while for food offences, know that you are welcome in the North Pole whenever you please. I will be sure to send over many snow days to reward you all for your commendable leadership, but remember that everything still counts. Do your best to not get caught up in senioritis. As you head into a new chapter of your lives you will all need to work on acceptance, rejections, and how to say goodbye. But have no fear, every college that denies you will end up on my Naughty List for sure.

Sincerely, Santa Claus

Santa’s Mailroom

The Claus’Kitchen

December 2011 5

On ‘Black Friday’ like many others my thoughts transitioned from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Although I did not run out to Target at midnight, I did sit down at my desk and begin to prepare my list of things to do for the upcoming Christmas Holiday. (I must admit that I was quite proud of my-self for having waited until after Thanksgiv-ing since my local CVS had Christmas deco-rations displayed the day after Halloween). I divided the list into categories: shopping (kids, relatives, friends, teacher gifts); events (parties, Christmas play, Tree light-ing) and practical (get tree, write Christmas Cards, check lights). After I had completed the list, I checked for anything that I might have left out. Much to my dismay, there was one glaring omission: Jesus. Like so many others, I had taken the Christ out of Christmas.

Unfortunately, in today’s society this is much too easy to do. We are overwhelmed with images of Santa Claus, reindeer and tinsel and are in such a rush to purchase gifts and decorate that we can forget the real meaning of Christmas. I realized that I would need to do things to focus myself, so I decided that similar to Lent, I would make Advent resolutions concentrating on

the true meaning of Christmas. The first of these is to pray the Rosary, particularly focusing on the Joyful Mysteries: the An-nunciation, Visitation, Birth of Christ, Presentation and Finding of Jesus in the Temple all recount the beautiful story of Jesus’ birth. Second is to make time to give thanks to God, and not the thanks for, “Oh, thank God I found those size 9 Tom’s Wrap Boots for my daughter,” but a real genuine prayer of Thanksgiving. Third is to send religious Christmas cards. This may seem trite, but these cards serve as a reminder to both ourselves and to the person receiving the card of the birth of Christ, and fourth, go to Church, not just on Sundays, but to visit and reflect.

The commercialization of Christmas did not occur overnight. It was a slow ero-sion of the true meaning of Christmas. As a society we have allowed toy companies and clothing companies to overwhelm us and have allowed the conventions of our soci-ety to dictate our behavior. These conven-tions will not be dismantled overnight, but together, we can whittle away at their dom-inance. For the true meaning of Christmas is not found in Target or Toys R Us or Nor-dstroms. The true meaning of Christmas is found in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not per-ish, but will have eternal life.”

Penny wars, food drives, and C of G events are just some of the yearly com-petitions in which Convent of the Sacred Heart students actively participate. How-ever, one of the most spirited, aggressive, and unspoken competitions, is the con-test of which grade has the most spirited Christmas corner.

Students bring in decorations found at home and pile anything red and green in their section hoping to create the most festive corner in the core center. Popu-lar decorations in the past have been fire-places, dancing snowmen, and blow up lawn decorations.

Although there is no tangible prize awarded to the winning grade, pride is enough to drive each class to unleash their inner elf.

“I love Christmas so I am really ex-cited to make our corner really nice. We are going to go all out. We are going to bring in things that other people wouldn’t bring in usually and make it really colorful

and have cool designs,” freshman Jessica Johnson said.

In contrast to the freshmen, the seniors plan to bring a different style of Christmas to their corner this season.

Senior Caroline Eagan said, “This is what I’m thinking, classy Christmas. No colored lights, only white. White lights alone will set us above everyone else. Less is more. But I’m not talking about less be-cause I want to throw down.”

The varying different ideas for deco-rations bring out the competitors in each grade. Even though this is not an official competition, each class takes their corner very seriously.

“We spent our class meeting discuss-ing specific decorations to win,” said soph-omore Mo Leitner. “We are the first to decorate so we have to go hard or go home.”

For some grades though, this holiday season is the opportunity to bring out deco-rations the school has yet to see, while si-multaneously bring their grade together.

“We are planning on making it big. We are considering lots of crazy ideas that no one has ever seen before. We are go-ing to work together and combine our ef-

Letters from the North PoleSanta’s holiday wishes for the Upper School

Students compete for Core Center decorationsmolly scudder and alli sciarretta‘12

opinions editor & asst. opinions editor

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The seniors’ corner includes a christ-mas tree, a senior privilege started this year.

The sophomores were the first to decorate, setting a high bar for the rest of the grades. However, the other grades soon joined the Core Center Christmas cheer.

Makeover mrs. kerry bader

guest writer

forts to create a masterpiece,” junior Emma Molloy said.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and bring out the true elf.

Christm

as Sacred Heart gets a

Dear Juniors,My elves, Elf Panarella and Elf O’Grady, have been especially im-

pressed with your growth and maturity as you have become upperclass-men at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Although it is obvious that you all love your cell phones and out-of-uniform sweatshirts, you have all adjusted to the new responsibilities that accompany junior year with poise and confidence and that deserves merit in my book. Although at times you all may need to work on your stress level, trust that the Sacred Heart community is there for each one of you in both academic and emotional situations. Although there is room for improvement in the Core Center, you have all come such a long way and I will be sure to stuff your stockings this Christmas. Remember to stop and make a snow man every once in a while during your hectic year.

Sincerely, Santa Claus

The Elf Clubhouse

Caution:—elves at work

The Chapel

Making a list and checking it twice

King Street Chronicle features December 2011 6

katie ellison ‘13 arts editor

‘When christmas comes to town’

Santa’s arrival equipped with signs catherine considine ‘13

asst. sports editor

Empty glass of milk, check. Reindeer food gone, check. Presents under the tree, check. From the empty plate of cookies to the piles of gifts and filled stockings, Santa Claus makes his guest appearance known by leaving signs for both the naughty and nice children on Christmas morning.

For some Convent of the Sacred Heart students, Mr. Claus leaves more than just an empty plate of cookies, and gifts un-der the tree on Christmas morning. He leaves proof.

And proof was indeed left when Santa arrived through junior Bridgette Fucigna’s chimney a few years ago.

“Each year, Santa Claus leaves a hint for my brother and me so we know that he came,” Bridgette said. “One time, he left footprints that were full of chimney soot around my living room floor.”

As the years have gone by, and tech-nology has evolved, so have Santa’s signs.

“One year, Santa left all of the respons-es to our letters on the computer desktop,” Bridgette said. “And, one of the most ex-citing Christmas mornings was when he created a video of him walking through my house.”

Sophomore Regina Ferrara also expe-rienced a similar Christmas morning where Santa’s face was hidden on camera.

“One Christmas, I came down the stairs and a video camera was left open which was replaying a clip of Santa’s boots walking through my house,” Regina said

Both foot and hoof prints seem to be

Santa’s go-to action to prove that the magic of Christmas morning is real.

“One Christmas when I was young, I woke up to see hoof prints on my front lawn,” said junior Jenna Hascher. “Of course, they were not from the reindeer, but it was such an exciting moment.”

The notes that Santa leaves next to the classic cookies and milk are also priceless.

“Once, I came downstairs on Christ-mas morning, and saw a huge poster with a note from Santa,” sophomore Liz Moran said.

“I loved that it was written in beauti-ful cursive which made me think that Santa had nice handwriting!”

Santa is always very gracious and sweet in his notes to Sacred Heart students.

“Santa always leaves me a note that

says something along the lines of ‘You were such a great girl this year-remember to keep smiling!’” junior Margaret Dunne said. “He would also thank me for putting out the reindeer food and would say, ‘Ru-dolph loved the carrots-thanks!’”

Having proof of Santa’s arrival makes everything seem much more magical.

“When I was little, I asked Santa to leave a bell from his sleigh, similar to The Polar Express,” sophomore Sydney DeVoe said. “And, when I woke up on Christmas morning, it was right near the gifts!”

Whether a bell just happened to fall off of Santa’s sleigh in one house, or the rein-deer ate all of the carrots in another, Santa always makes sure that everyone has a very merry Christmas by sharing and giving both spiritual and materialist gifts.

Santa leaves his half eaten cookies and empty glass of milk with a letter directly addressed to the Sacred Heart students.

From a pickle to pajamas, fami-lies of students at Convent of the Sacred Heart are very creative when it comes to holiday traditions.

As the holiday season approaches, Sa-cred Heart students become energized by the thought of all the cookies, candy canes, and cheer they will experience. Students also enjoy preparing for their own personal Christmas traditions.

Junior Emily Mollinelli is looking for-ward to a different kind of “sweet” treat.

“Every year we set up a little village around our Christmas tree and my grand-ma comes over to make homemade ravioli,” she said.

Sophomore Tara Hammonds also has food related Christmas traditions.

“We always get big oranges in the toe of our stockings. It’s just tradition. It’s something to look forward to every year,” Tara said. “You always know there will be that orange in the toe.”

Sophomore Colleen O’Neill’s family has devised a complicated game over the years involving Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” a tradition, she said, that has been a part of her family for as long as she can remember. “Basically when my family gets together at Christmas we read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and everyone brings their own gift,” she said. “Every one is given a slip with a word from the story on it and when your word is read, you go to the table to pick up a gift.”

The game continues with all 40 mem-bers of the O’Neill family until every person has a gift. But, it would not be Christmas without a little friendly family rivalry.

“It gets pretty competitive because people can steal pres-ents from other peo-ple,” Colleen said. “You want to have a word in the line ‘Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night’ because then you have your pick of the pres-ents.”

S t u -d e n t s such as

freshman Zsanelle Morel, junior Caroline Southwick, and sophomore Ally Becker, have slightly less complicated traditions- all of these girls receive pajamas on Christ-mas Eve.

Although originally a German tra-dition, freshman Emily Casper’s Irish family hangs a pickle ornament on their Christmas tree with a reward for the most observant child.

complied by eleanor judge ‘12

Spreading the cheeron a budget

We go [to POTS] ev-ery Christmas morn-ing before we open presents. Its a nice feeling to give back before you receive.

-Junior Tessa Davis

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The 40 members of Colleen ‘14 and Claire ‘15 O’Neill’s family gather yearly to celebrate the holidays with a competitive gift-giving game.

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“Every year, one person hangs a pickle ornament on our Christmas tree and who-ever finds it gets a prize,” she said.

Whether Christmas traditions con-sist of family competitions, or simply a cozy pair of pajamas, the holiday is always spent with loved ones. For some, Christmas brings double the amount of joy, excite-ment, and even presents.

“It’s our little sister Jacqueline’s birth-day that day so we celebrate with her that afternoon,” freshman Emily Quirke said. “She gets a lot of presents that day.”

Junior Tessa Davis and her fam-ily travel to Part of the Solution soup kitchen, also known as POTS, during the holiday season.

“We go every Christmas morning be-fore we open presents,” said Tessa Da-vis. “It’s a nice feeling to give back before you receive.”

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With the holidays rapidly ap-proaching, there is always a scram-ble to get each friend or family member a gift that they will love. It sometimes proves to be a challeng-ing task to find these while sticking to a budget, so here’s a list of pres-ents that everyone will love... All under $30.

A Starbucks Gift Card

Set of makeup brushes

Edible Arrangements

Cell phone case

Gift certificate for a pedicure

Urban Outfitters T-shirts for men

Headphones

Roll-on perfume

A Snuggie

Tazo tea sampler

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Glittering sugar plum fairies are not quite making the cut this year. In an at-tempt to modernize the classical Christmas ballet, Daniel Ezralow has created a magi-cal performance in which the Nutcracker has been transformed into a mystical and futuristic production complete with acro-batics and a fresh plot.

Ezralow, a well-known choreographer who most recently worked on the Broad-way phenomenon “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” was approached with the idea for “Nutcracker Magic” by Jun Lui and Yan Ling, two officials from the Shanghai City Entertainment Group. While originally uninterested in the idea, he soon became intrigued by the unique design of the re-vamped Nutcracker, according to the New York Times.

“Nutcracker Magic” was inspired by the life of Ms. Lui, a creative director at Shanghai City Entertainment. This ver-sion of the Nutcracker follows the story of a young girl who loves to dance and dreams of auditioning for a competition on a cruise. While Ezralow understands it is a plot that may be ill perceived by Western ears, he has faith in the production.

King Street Chronicle arts & sports

December 2011 7

devon hoffman ‘13 asst. features editor

A new NutcrackerShanghai revamps a Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic

While many relish the warmth of a fire or the coziness of a blanket during the frosty winter season,two juniors from Con-vent of the Sacred Heart prefer to spend their free time outdoors in order to partici-pate in their favorite winter sport.

Kelsey Roche and Shannon Snopkows-ki have dedicated their winters to skiing competitively on their respective teams and programs for several years.

“My family has been skiing since be-fore I was born,” Kelsey said. “I started ski-ing around three years old and I have never stopped because I love it so much.”

Once a member of the Windham Mountain Race Team, Kelsey joined the Adaptive Ski Program, which specializes in teaching physically and mentally disabled adults and children how to ski, after her freshman year. Kelsey not only enjoys the thrill and excitement of the sport in gen-eral, but she loves helping others share her passion as well.

“It is such an amazing experience because I know that I am really making someone have a special week,” Kelsey said. “For them, accomplishing even small goals like being able to stay up on their skis is a success. Their successes, however small, makes me feel so proud of my students and reminds me of why I love to do this.”

Shannon, along with the rest of her family, shares an extensive amount of ex-perience with the sport of skiing as well.

“I began skiing when my fam-ily went to Vermont to visit family friends about ten years a g o , ” S h a n n o n said. “My whole family immedi-ately fell in love with the sport.”

S h a n n o n competes on the Mount Snow Freestyle Team in Vermont. Not only does she train 16 hours a week during the winter, but she spends much of her summer in

The classic Nutcracker ballet has been trans-formed into an innovating and modern produc-tion that has recently opened in Shanghai

claire geithner ‘13 staff writer

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The X-mas gamesPoll: What is the best Christmas movie?

Skiers take on the mountains

compiled by taylor michael ‘13

141 members of the Upper School student body took a paper ballot poll in Morning Meeting.

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Elf Home Alone

The Santa Claus

Other How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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Whistler, Canada and Lake Placid, New York preparing for her winter competitions.

“The most rewarding part of skiing is when you do really well in a competition,” Shannon said. “When I do well I know all my hard work has paid off.”

Kelsey also agrees that nothing com-pares to the feeling of having all her hard work pay off in the end. Along with serving as a distraction from the stress of school-work, skiing allows her to simply do the sport she loves with her family and friends.

“I get a great feeling right before I start a race or am about to go off a jump,” Kelsey said. “I always get a rush of adrenaline which gets me so excited for the race or the jump. Being mid-air on a jump makes me feel like I am flying.”

Though it is their individual love of the sport that gets them through the often diffi-cult and time consuming training sessions, Kelsey and Shannon agree that they would not be as successful without the support of their families and friends.

“All my siblings also compete and so we all support each other,” Shannon said. “We help each other improve by teaching one another new tricks or just support-ing each other at competitions. Our par-ents go to all of our events, which is also very supportive.”

Kelsey agrees that family and friends play a large role in her success.

“My family and friends are such a big part of my skiing,” Kelsey said. “My whole extended family, including some of my cousins who are also some of my best friends, go up to Windham. Being with them, especially while doing something we all love, is such a great experience.”

“It sounded bizarre to me when I first heard it,” he said, according to the New York Times. “But I grew to see the point: It’s just a girl who really wants to be a danc-er. It has elements of ‘The Red Shoes,’ and of ‘Black Swan’ and of the Hoffmann tale, but it’s not like any typical ‘Nutcracker.’”

Convent of the Sacred Heart junior Taylor Ryan, a former dancer, has had am-ple experience in the world of ballet having been in two productions of the Nutcracker.

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-Senior Diana White

Just because this ver-sion of the Nutcracker is not centered around children and the magic of Christmas does not neces-sarily make it a less worthy production.”

“I don’t really like that a new kind of Nutcracker has been created,” Taylor said. “I don’t think something so perfect should be tampered with. We’ve all grown up with the original Nutcracker and I think the new version with all these crazy ideas is taking away from a beautiful Christmas tradition.”

In contrast to Taylor’s dislike of “Nut-cracker Magic,” senior Diana White is sup-portive of the new production’s unique and creative design.

“I would definitely keep an open mind about the show if I were able to see it,” she said. “Just because this version of the Nut-cracker is not centered around children and the magic of Christmas time, does not nec-essarily make it a less worthy production. I like the idea of something different.”

Diana, an experienced ballerina, was first cast in the classic version of the Nut-cracker at the age of seven, and continued to perform in the show until she was thir-teen. Although she is supportive of the new production, there is a part of her that will always favor the Nutcracker she grew up with.

“Because I was in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker and I have seen it several times, I’m slightly partial to it when it comes to my favorite version,” Diana said.

While the transformation of the Nut-cracker is met with varying opinions, it is a production that will irrevocably change the world of classical ballet in a step towards the future of dance. Junior Kelsey Roche is a member of the Adaptive Ski Program at

Windham Mountain in New York.

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Trade in that boring, plastic Fris-bee for its cool and vivacious relative, the wreath. Let your favorite Christmas deco-ration spin wildly as you play this holiday game. Pass the wreath between players fireside, tree side or even outside.

Ultimate wreath

Love strapping on a sumo suit and wrestling, but not the cold? Just put on a Santa suit and let the games begin. The ex-tra padding will surely break any falls.

Santa sumo-wrestling

It is a race to the highest bow as blindfolded and dizzy competitors attempt to climb a ladder and place the star atop the tree.

Pin the star on the tree

Ornament tossThis is a spin off the classic water bal-

loon toss. The only difference is, instead of tossing balloons filled with water toss orna-ments. Careful, they break.

FoodballAll the traditional soccer rules apply

but in this rendition, instead of using a soc-cer ball, try using a fruit cake. The chewy and dense cake is great for kicking around and spreading holiday fun! Who knew cake could actually burn calories?

Musical presentsInstead of opening your own present

sit in a circle and pass random presents around until someone says “stop.” Open up whatever present you have in your hand. You never know what you are going to get.

compiled by margaretta ryan ‘12

Shake up family gatherings this holiday season-by adapting childhood pastimes into creatuce Christmas games.

King Street Chronicle arts

December 2011 8

Kicking it with a Rockettejennie chieco ‘13

staff writer

Raising the gingerbread standards

Three months before opening day: Rehearsal begins

“We start rehearsing in September for seven hours a day, six days a week for about a month.” Stevi van Meter, Radio City Rockette said in an interview via Face-book. “There are a total of 36 Rockettes on stage at all times, so everybody needs to be in sync.”Opening Day: November 11, 2011

With performances totaling over 223 throughout the holiday season, a Rockette must maintain a steady calorie intake to prevent injury and illness.

“Once the show opens we do up to five shows a day seven days a week!” van Me-ter said. “We are catered in between shows because we only have an hour in between shows and the last half hour of that is spent in the dressing room getting ready.”The Radio City Christmas Spectacu-lar: Famous since 1933

The Parade of Wooden Soldiers and the infamous Rockette Kick-line are two of the most popular parts of the Spectacular, but not solely among viewers.

“The Soldier’s number has been at the Music Hall since 1933,” van Meter said, “and the costume and choreography has never changed, making it a Rock-ette favorite.”

In the entire show, a Rockette performs over 300 eye-high kicks in various kick-line formations. van Meter shared the inside tricks on how they achieve these awe-inspir-ing kicks.

“The line is made up of the

Stamford Museum hosts third annual Visions of Gingerbread

jane gerstner ‘14staff writer

Holiday tradition gains competitive momentum at the third annual Visions of Gingerbread: The Sweetest Architects ex-hibition, hosted by the Stamford Museum in Stamford, Connecticut. The display fea-tures 100 percent edible and dually inven-tive gingerbread houses, submitted by local bakers and caterers, which are currently open to the viewing and judging of the public community.

This year, the museum welcomes eight outrageous confections from a gingerbread boat captained by Santa Claus to sug-ary recreations of the London Bridge and Radio City Music Hall. Two of the baked masterpieces, “Lulu and Pippa’s House on Heckscher Farm” and “Bendel Interior”, were constructed by the Stamford Mu-seum and Nature Center Staff. Other con-test participants include Dough Girl Bak-ing Company, Angela Mia Italian Pastries, Cake Suite, DiMare Pastry Shop, Izzi B’s Allergen-Free Cupcakes, and Sweet Lisa’s Exquisite Cakes.

on November 11. Visitors, too, have the opportunity

to vote for their “fan favorite” both at the museum, where ballots are provided, and online through a poll that supplies a photo-graph of each of the pieces and of the cor-responding artist.

On weekends, the exhibit buzzes with kids and adults alike, pointing fingers and raising eyebrows in awe of what has been built out of cookies and frosting. Cameras and cell phones flash capturing the sweet creativity in digital files. Every few min-utes the same question can be heard from a range of different lips,“Which one do you like the best?” People are eager to vote for the number one gingerbread house, and the ballot box is often filled to the brim.

The winners will be announced in mid-December. Whether they take first place or last, each submission to Visions of Gingerbread presents a unique form of art that embodies the Christmas magic and inspires families to make their own ginger-bread houses at home.

Provided by Sweet Lisa’s Exquisite Cakes, “Radio City Music Hall” is among the gingerbread house submissions at the Stamford Museum.

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Behind the scenes of a Rockette’s holiday season

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Christmas Brunch at your Aunt’s

From presents to pie, it’s going to be a long day! Be prepared for gifting and gorg-ing with pleats; versatile and easy, pleats are always put together without being fussy. A pleated dress in this season’s rust, burnt yellow, and turquoise shades. Is both comfortable and festive. For a more daring, but equally effortless look, try a pleated maxi paired with a long sleeve top. Worn with a long chain or cocktail ring, keeps the outfit chic and family-appropriate.

Midnight Mass

For Midnight Mass the keyword is comfort. Be cozy and classy in a chunky sweater paired with a delicate skirt. Win-terize your summery skirts by wearing them with a warm, heavy knit. Match dark-er shades on the bottom with jewel toned and winter-white sweaters. Wear this look with simple ballet flats or boots and keep jewelry minimalistic.

Afternoon with your

CousinsFrom shopping to skating, here is a

look for a wide range of winter break ac-tivities. During the cold-weather months, the jacket is everything. Wear this sea-son’s hottest silhouette, the trench coat, in unexpected hues. From plaid to ivory, this winter’s outerwear is all about unique colors and patterns. Keep this trend taste-ful by avoiding anything too gaudy or loud, and wearing it with your favorite jeans or cute cords.

Winter Break at the

BeachHeading south for the holidays? Stay

stylish with the top resort trends—trade in this season’s jewel tones and retro polka dots for next season’s neons and nauti-cal stripes. Bikinis to ball gowns, sailor-inspired styles are in every designer’s re-sort collection. A day-glo green flip flop or bright blue bag are easy ways to incorpo-rate the newest and brightest craze. For an even louder look, let a single neon piece take center stage and keep the rest of the outfit more neutral. Pair a shocking-pink halter with white bottoms and delicate san-dals or wear a sunny cerulean sheath dress

with beige wedges and a sleek ponytail. Keep high-wattage hues haute and re-sist the urge to pile on bangles or throw on a heavy neck-lace; with neons, less is more!

New

Year’s Eve Party

If 2012 is the apocalypse, this may be your last New Year’s! Live it up with sparkle and shimmer this year, 2012 style. Instead of the predictable sequin mini, try a studded crop top with jeans or layered over a maxi dress for a dressier event. For a more low-key look, be festive with sparkly shoes or a beaded clutch.

Mollie

Copy editor

Pillari

Stay cozy and cute with a warm sweater and shimmery skirt from Jack Wills.

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taller ladies in the center and the less tall ladies at the end of the line.” van Meter shared. “When the Rockettes are hooked up in our Kick-line, we do not touch each other. That way when you kick, you are not holding the weight of the 2 ladies standing on either side of you.” Post-Holiday Season: Rockettes pursue other interests

While the Radio City Christmas Spectacular may take up most of their time during the holidays, many Rock-ette’s pursue personal aspirations during the off-season.

“Some of the ladies are in school pur-suing careers as doctors, lawyers and den-tists.” van Meter said. “Some are just plain ole Mom’s. Others do Regional Theater and some even do Broadway.”

Stevi van Meter retired last season af-ter 15 years of being a Rockette, knowing that her spot will be gratefully filled. The friendships she created with her fellow Rockette’s will be lifelong.

“By me retiring and leaving the line, I know another young lady is ready to take my place and live her dream too.” van Me-ter said. “It has been the ultimate experi-ence for me and I have loved every minute of it.”

Front row far left, Stevi van Meter, a 15-year Radio City Rockette, has performed in the Christmas Spectacular over 3,490 times.

Signature Styles: What to wear

The exhibit buzzes with kids and adults alike...in awe of what has been built out of cookies and frosting.

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Bakeries that submit their work to the exhibit not only have the opportunity to win an award, but also to advertise. A table near the exit door stands cluttered with business cards and brochures for some of the shops, such as Izzi B’s and DiMare.

The exhibit runs from November 12 until December 18; however, first, second, and third place winners were determined by a panel of special guest judges at the Member’s Preview & Opening Reception