KANELAND
KR ER
January 15, 2026
KANELAND
KR ER The season of giving Celebrating the gift of the holiday season
Volume 52 • Winter Issue • Kaneland High School • Cover by Sophia Schroll
Feature|December 16, 2025
The Spirit of Christmas Past BY CLARA SAROS Column Manager
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ostalgia is one of the most magical feelings you can experience. Everything feels perfect in your memories, and all the negative parts of life go away. Nothing has more nostalgia than the holiday season. The break from school, time with family, lights, music, gifts, decorations and Santa Claus make it the shining star of many of our childhoods. Now that we are older, some of the mystery and magic have faded away. Instead of focusing on the magic of the holidays, we have finals to stress over and are worrying about gifts for others. It can be depressing to see younger and older friends and family glowing with the magic of the season when you feel like you’re on the outside looking in. “Back then it felt more like a holiday, and now it feels like another day, but with gifts,” sophomore Charlotte Lindgren said. “It lost the joy part or the magic.” When we were kids, everything from hot chocolate on cold days to waking up on Christmas morning felt magical. As we grow up, we cling to these memories and try to find that same feeling again, even though we have lost our unquestioning belief. “Everybody wants to view Christmas as a child or whatever the memories are from when you were a child and the feelings you had at Christmas,” social studies teacher Steve Auchstetter said. While most of the magic came from our childhood sense of wonder and magic, that is not all it is. The Christmas season brings a very real magic to it with opportunities for giving and joy. We are now on the other end of that magic, being the givers ourselves. Seeing the look on someone’s face after giving them a great gift is the real magic of the season. “Sometimes me and my friends will do a mini Advent calendar or give a small gift before Christmas,” Lindgren said. Gifts come in
all shapes and sizes, from large acts of kindness to cards and even quality time. That can be one of the best gifts of all because of the memories you make. In a season fueled by memories, the more you have, the better it is. “I probably get even more into it as I get older,” Auchstetter said. “I still listen to the old classics on the radio. The music for me, the music I remember growing up with, the Christmas music I grew up with…I still listen to it today.” Christmas music carries a great deal of nostalgia for the season. The songs that we listen to as adults are predominantly the same ones that we heard as children. These can feel comforting and peaceful to listen to while we remember times gone by. A study by the National Library of Medicine indicates that music has a great impact by being connected to our emotional memory. Listening to a song will bring to mind times when we experienced similar things. In this instance, nostalgia brought by Christmas music is intertwined with our Christmas memories, even if that song is not a part of them. When as kids we simply had to be awake to feel the holiday magic, now we have to seek it out a little harder.
Listening to Christmas music while doing different activities helps immensely. Attending The Nutcracker ballet or caroling are two activities that are not only a lot of fun, but can bring music and old memories into your new ones. Christmas does not just have to be amazing for kids. There is a different magic in it as we grow up, but that does not make it less magical.
Graphic by Charlize Landa
Feature
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Page design by Charlize Landa
Advice|December 16, 2025
Spreading holiday cheer on a budget
A money-saving and meaningful gift-giving guide for friends and family
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icture this: It’s the week before break, everyone’s swapping holiday gifts and you’re still staring at a blank notes app trying to figure out what to buy with the $20 in your wallet. You want to give something meaningful, something that actually shows you care, but everything in stores feels either too expensive or too generic. The good news? Thoughtful gifts don’t require a big budget, just a little creativity and intention. Finding the right gift doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it usually comes down to one simple question: What matters to this person? Once you figure that out, choosing a thoughtful, low-budget gift becomes way easier. Usually, people fit into one of a few giftable categories: sentimental, practical, experience-oriented or hobby-focused. Once you know which category they fall into, it becomes much easier to pick something meaningful without overspending. For sentimental people, go for something memory-based, like a printed photo from a favorite moment with a handwritten note on the back or a unique necklace with their favorite colors. Practical people appreciate gifts they’ll use every day. If you have a friend that likes to cook, you can get them a set of nice wooden spoons or a personalized apron. Experience-oriented people value moments over things, like a gift card to their favorite restaurant or coffee shop. If they’re more adventurous, you can get them a gift card
to an escape room or an athletic sporting goods store. And for hobby-focused people, tailor the gift to their interests, such as a sketchpad for the artist, a team keychain for the sports fan or a bookmark for the reader. You might even discover that people enjoy different types of gifts than you expected, which makes the process more fun and personal. So just taking a few minutes to listen to what they talk about, observe what they use often or hear what they get excited about can give you all the clues you need. This small bit of reflection allows you to avoid impulse purchases and choose something that actually feels intentional. Even a small gift feels big when it’s personalized. Adding a handwritten note, referencing an inside joke or choosing someone’s favorite color can turn a simple item into something they will remember for years to come. For example, that sketchpad for your artistic friend could come with a little note like, “Can’t wait to see what you create next!” A personal touch like that shows you’ve thought about them specifically, not just about giving a gift. These small details are what make the moment memorable, long after the physical gift is forgotten. Another way to make low-budget gifts feel special is by grouping a few small items together into a themed bundle. A cozy winter-themed kit might include a hot chocolate packet, fuzzy socks and a mini candle. Even three tiny items packaged nicely in a small
box or bag can feel intentional and thoughtful, making the gift look more polished without spending a lot. Setting a budget before you start shopping is a simple way to avoid stress and overspending. Look for deals at thrift stores, dollar stores or online marketplaces. You can often find items that look and feel much more expensive than they really are. DIY projects are another great option. Baking cookies, creating a handmade card or decorating a jar of candy can show just as much thoughtfulness — if not more — as a store-bought gift. The key is thinking about what the person would appreciate most, not how much it costs. How you give a gift can make even a small item feel special. People remember how a gift made them feel, and presentation is a surprisingly big part of that. Wrapping it neatly in a colorful paper bag and tying it with a ribbon can turn a simple gesture into something memorable. Presentation shows that you’ve put time and effort into the gift, which matters more than the price tag. Remember, the holidays aren’t about spending the most money; they’re about showing you care. Thoughtful touches, creativity and shared memories are what make a gift truly meaningful. So this holiday season, don’t stress about the price tag. Instead, focus on thoughtfulness, creativity and making memories. Those are the gifts everyone will surely remember.
Editor-in-Chief of Web
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Page design by Faith Maschman
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Advice
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Review & Recipe|December 16, 2025
Battle of the hot chocolates 6.72 average
D unkin’
7.63 average
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M cDonald’
4.45 average
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d orn er Grin
St a
3.63 average
r b u c ks
Third-year Krier staff members sampled hot chocolate from Dunkin’, McDonald’s, Corner Grind and Starbucks. After trying all four, they rated each one on a scale from 1-10 and picked their favorites. While more people chose Dunkin’ as their favorite hot chocolate, McDonald’s had a higher average rating. Starbucks was the clear least favorite, with no one making it their top choice and it receiving the lowest average score. What would your ranking be?
Olivia’s almond sugar cookies
BY OLIVIA COTTER
Co-Copy Editor and Production Executive
1 cup softened butter 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp almond extract 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Review & Recipe
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1 egg 2 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp cream of tartar
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 2) In a large bowl, mix together sifted powdered sugar, small chunks of butter, egg, vanilla and almond extract. 3) Once combined, add sifted flour, baking soda and cream of tartar to the mixture. 4) Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. 5) Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Then, split the dough into halves. Roll the dough out to a 1/3 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into fun shapes. 6) Spray a standard cookie sheet with a nonstick spray or rub with butter. Place cut out dough on the baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes. 8) Place freshly baked cookies on paper towels to cool. Once fully cooled, decorate with frosting and sprinkles or eat them plain.
Page design by Anna Gatz
Voices|December 16, 2025
What is your favorite holiday tradition or part of the holidays? By: Co-Sports & Activities Executives and Broadcast Managers Bobby Leavey and Evan Whildin
“My favorite holiday tradition is a Christmas cookie bake-off that my whole family does every single year.” - junior Kayla Baumann
“My favorite tradition with the holday season is definitely food. Different holidays come with different kinds of food. And I like a lot of it.” - math teacher Tim Larsen
“Spending time with my family and friends.” - sophomore Olivia Hatfield Page design by Hadley Springer
“Sitting down and watching movies with some hot chocolate. That’s awesome.” - senior Hayden Foster
“Being able to have multiple Christmases and going to other people’s houses for Christmas.” - freshman Ronin Moreno Voices
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HOLIDAY GAMES Page design by Emma Weintraub
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GRAB A FRIEND AND PLAY TIC-TAC-TOE!
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UP FOR A CHALLENGE? SOLVE THIS SUDOKU!
Gra h by Emm p ic
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WINTER CRAFT Page design by Sophia Schroll
Print a photo of you and your loved ones during the holidays.
After printing, glue or tape your photo over the area labeled “Place photo here.”
Then cut along the dotted line to remove your holiday card from the Krier.
Place photo here
You and your friends can create your holiday cards and drop them off in the Krier room (B109).
We’ll add them to our Krier bulletin board located in the commons! Graphic by Sophia Schroll
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The Ka n
What’s on your Christmas list?
What’s your favorite holiday treat?
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What holiday activity are you participating in?
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Design by Sophia Schroll
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Quiz by Olivia Cotter
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If you answered mostly__,you are...
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a. White Christmas b. Elf c. Frosty the Snowman d. A Muppet Christmas Carol e. It’s a Wonderful Life
a. Caroling b. Decorating the tree c. Ice skating d. Looking at Christmas lights e. Leaving cookies and milk out for Santa
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What holiday movie are you watching over break?
Graphics by Sophia Schroll
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a. Seeing The Nutcracker b. Shopping c. Hanging out with your significant other d. Hanging out with your friends e. Visiting your fam-
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a. Fruitcake b. Peppermint mocha c. Popcorn balls d. Gingerbread cookies e. Eggnog
How are you spending your winter break?
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a. Books b. Skincare c. Vinyl records d. Concert tickets e. A knitted sweater
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What popular holiday artist are you?