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Holiday Tips And Ideas From Dallas Experts

Get ready to be inspired. We’ve gathered creative tips and fresh ideas from Dallas experts on everything from gifts to decorations to celebrations.
By D Magazine |
Handiwork
Pick up clear glass ornaments and gel pens at a craft store and decorate your own Christmas ornaments. Use them to deck your own halls, or give them as gifts.
—Beverly Field, Beverly Field Interiors

59 Holiday Ideas
Eat, drink, and be festive with these creative tips from Dallas experts.

Blue Christmas >>
Dried hydrangea makes a lovely wreath—add a hint of ribbon, and you’re done.
—Cesar Diaz, Bella Flora of Dallas

Follow Your Theme
When creating themed Christmas tress, take your home dcor into account. If you have an Italian-style house, try a Renaissance theme. Use crosses, jewel-toned colors, and gilt.
—Inessa Stewart, Inessa Stewart Antiques

Yule Love It!
Revive an old tradition by making and burning—or giving—a Yule Log. Attach a variety of greens—mix fir and Scotch pine with fragrant greens, such as juniper and holly—to a standard-sized log (about 12 inches in diameter), starting from the outside edges and working toward the center. At the center, attach pine cones and holly. Display the Yule Log on the hearth or the andirons as a beautiful holiday decoration for about a week, or until the greens dry out. When lit on Christmas day, it will crackle and fill the house with a delightful scent.
—Tracey Keimer, artists’ representative

<< Natural Ring
Wrap a linen napkin with simple gold cord or raffia and add a few abelia flower sheath heads (left) or use a strand of herbs or evergreen (right). Forage around in your own backyard for materials.
—Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

Shop early; celebrate your friendships; make cloved oranges; eat tamales; spike the eggnog; and say no to fake trees! —Jacklyn Butler

Lovely and Thrifty^^
Finally, a use for all of those ribbon scraps! Simply glue—or tape—remnants of equal length to create your own ribbon garland. Create a pattern or take the anything-goes route.
—Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

Memorable Décor >>
Take your collections down off the walls or out of the bookcases and make them part of your Christmas décor—on trees, tabletops, mantels, banisters. I use pieces from my collections of brown-and-white transferware and colorful majolica on Christmas trees, hanging the pieces with colored ribbon.
—Lisa Luby Ryan, At Home with a Past

Skirting the Issue
Need a tree skirt? Use that pashmina you’re not wearing. Just wrap it around the base of the tree. Look in your closet for a tartan skirt—a real one—and tie the waist opening around the tree trunk. Of course, a tablecloth will also do, but how about a fur stole or patchwork quilt. A lovely scarf? Even a painter’s dropcloth for a home under siege.
—Judy Russell, St. Michael Woman’s Exchange

<< At Table
Set a buffet with various silver pieces—trays, champagne buckets, vases, biscuit jars—piled high with beautiful ornaments. Tie tiny bows on the exposed hanging loops. Tuck in bits of fresh pine boughs for color and that unmistakable holiday aroma.
—Todd Fiscus, Two Design Group

Holiday Scents
Beginning in early fall, start changing the atmosphere in your home with the aromas of fresh fruit. Pile apples and oranges high in glass bowls or the tall, cylindrical vases from the florist—we all have at least two of them. Fill them to the brim in your entryway and throughout the house; they’ll provide long-lasting beauty as well as fragrance. Intensify or supplement those aromas with spicy candles.
—Pam Kelley, Pam Kelley and Associates

Wrap It Up
Wrap packages in brown butcher paper or green parchment paper with doublewide satin ribbon. Tie a vintage Christmas ornament into the bow—or maybe a sprig of juniper or holly for a more natural look.
—Jimmie Henslee, stylist


Nice and Toasty >>
Using walnuts or hazelnuts—whatever you can find in abundance—create a stately fireplace screen, complete with your family monogram. A client wanted something special for Christmas, so I found a discarded antique screen, laid out a simple design, and started gluing one night. You can create any variation you like; just make sure the nuts are densely arranged.
—Jacklyn Butler, Jacklyn M. Butler Associates

Dot Streamers
Children can do this. Stressed-out adults can do this. Get office dot labels and string them along fishing line.
—Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

<< Under Glass
Cloches make holiday decorating quick and easy. These glass domes, which were originally used in France to protect delicate plants, make anything you put beneath them magical. A bottlebrush tree with pine cones, a child’s handmade Christmas card, even cookies for Santa, look enchanting when placed under a bell jar. If you have a large space, group several sizes and heights together.
—Brooke Crew, Rue No. 1

Easy Ornaments
Clean blown light bulbs gently. Create unique designs with glass paint and accessorize with wire, beads, ribbons, and other odds and ends.
—Chris Ann Harlow, Robb & Stucky

<< Marzipan Trees
You can use any combination of candy or nuts to create charming little trees for gifts or for decorating your home. Cone-shaped forms can be purchased at any craft store and mounted on a stick secured in clay pots (use oasis to anchor the tree). The trick is to use more marzipan candies and nuts than you dream you’ll need.
—Jacklyn Butler, Jacklyn M. Butler Associates

Instead of red and green, try green and gold, blue and gold, white and blue, green and blue, or silver.
—Christopher Whanger

Old Friends
When I think of Christmas, I think of Lee Fritts, who was one of the most gifted floral designers I have met. One Christmas, he enlisted my then-8-year-old twins and me into whipping Ivory Snow and water with an electric beater and painting our tree with this icing to make snow on the tree branches. He swirled tulle around the top of our Winter Wonderland tree and arranged my collection of angles in the clouds. It was magical! Every year as we try to float those angels, we know that he is having a good laugh at our decorating attempts. Merry Christmas, Lee.
—Cathy Kincaid, Cathy Kincaid Interiors

 

Button Up >>
This button-wreath ornament is a perfect project for children: string miscellaneous buttons on light wire. Top with a bow.
—Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

<< White Christmas
When decorating for the holidays, I love using only white flowers, white pumpkins and squash, and natural boxwood. For years, I have ordered for my clients and myself fresh-cut balsam garland from Maine to mix with the boxwood. The fragrance fills the entire home.
—Charlotte Taylor, Notable Accents

Evergreen Bobeches
Bringing a bit of the outdoors in is a wonderful way to decorate your holiday table. Cheap and easy, too. Pull greenery from your backyard, and use a small-gauge wire to form wreaths small enough to fit the base of your candles. Never let the flame burn close to the greenery.
—Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

Dress It Up >>
Attach vintage chandelier crystals—all sizes, all shapes—to the bottom of a linen tablecloth.
Lisa Carlson, Sanctuary

Winter Wonderland
Hang paper snowflakes in your windows. Choose an assortment of unusual papers that you’d like to use for snowflakes and table decorations. (Paper Routes is a great source: 4440 Lawnview Ave. 214-381-2400.) Note: the thinner the paper, the easier it is to cut.
Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

For the Birds
Decorate a tree outside your house with cookies, pretzels, strings of popcorn, cranberry garlands, and other treats for the birds and squirrels.
Tracey Keimer, artists representative

<< Make Your Own Nut Tree!
Purchase a styrofoam form in desired shape (tree or topiary), a circle of styrofoam for the base, a dowel for the tree trunk, a low-heat glue gun, plenty of glue sticks, and a variety of dried objects, such as colorful berries, miniature pumpkins, pine cones and nuts from a craft store.

Insert the dowel into the center of the base and the center of the bottom of your tree. Use a little glue on both ends.

Start gluing your materials onto the tree from the top. Arrange rows of the same item, such as 1st row “all mini-pine cones, 2nd row all mini-pumpkins, and 3rd row “all walnuts. Two to three rows of the same item look best. Vary texture, depth, shape, and color.

Cover the entire form, leaving no gaps. Fill any small gaps with berries or pomegranates.

Cover your base in the same way.

Wrap coordinating ribbon around the trunk of the topiary and glue to secure.
Muffin Lemak and Susan Palma, The Design Girls

Apple of My Eye^^
For an instant centerpiece, try apple votives. Hollow out apples and insert tea lights. They are charming in a gathering of greens, or on their own. (Fruit Fresh from the grocer will stop the apples from browning quickly.)
Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

It is okay not to use ornaments. Your holiday decorations could be as simple as a long tray of paperwhite bulbs on your dining room table, and your tree might have only lights and ribbons.
Andrea Mason, Avant Garden

Morning Glory >>
I like to give the host or hostess breakfast for the day after a party: a collection of breakfast goodies—coffee, rolls, fruit, etc.—a pair of plates and napkins, maybe even a candle.
Ann Fox, Room Service

(Materials: Handmade folk pine tray, red Splatterware, French cherry tableware, candles, folk art Santa, vintage corsage flowers and leaves, 40s holiday handkerchief, and tea towel available at Room Service. Cake available from Aston’s Bakery & Catering.)

Floral Memories
I buy two or three cases of amaryllis during the holidays; they make wonderful last-minute or hostess gifts. They look beautiful presented in handmade Mexican forcing vases.
Michelle Nussbaumer, Ceylon et Cie

All Natural
Plant a live Christmas tree (pine, spruce, fir, or even rosemary) in an urn and decorate with natural objects such as birds nests, pine cones, robins eggs, holly, and acorn garlands.
Jimmie Henslee, stylist

<< Reindeer Bait
Here’s the perfect gift or craft to share with children: reindeer treats. Combine raw oats (for the birds), rye grass seed (for your lawn), and glitter in small, clear bags. Tie them closed with ribbon and attach a tag with instructions: Sprinkle in your front yard before going to bed on Christmas Eve—the sparkle of the glitter in the moonlight and the smell of the oats and grass will attract Santa’s reindeer.
Christie Justice, Robb & Stucky

Enjoy an old Dallas treat: hot Dr Pepper with a slice of lemon.
—Ann Fox

O Come, Emmanuel >>
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is the Advent wreath, lighting one candle on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

Advent wreaths are easy to make and can be decorated in whatever colors you like and with whatever materials you have. Soak an oasis wreath form in water and then cut fresh Christmas greens from your yard or gather from the woods (or your nearby florist). This wreath uses fresh juniper, green hydrangea, white heather, green roses, fresh crab apples (use toothpicks to apply), and eucalyptus pods. Water the wreath during the holidays and replace as necessary, or allow the elements of the wreath to dry.
Jamie Huizenga, Cebolla Fine Flowers

Holiday Blooms
For Christmas bloom: plant amaryllis in October, and plant paperwhites the week of Thanksgiving (paperwhites bloom faster than amaryllis).

<< A Wreath from Your Backyard
Clip greens from your garden or bushes to make wreaths for your bedroom doors.
Becky Winn, Whimsical Gardens

MATERIALS
81/2-inch oasis ring
Fresh cut plant material
20 gauge wire for hanging loop
Ribbon for hanging (optional)

Attach wire loop to wreath, creating a top.

Select branches with unblemished leaves in a variety of textures and shades. Avoid bright-green new growth; it’s beautiful and enticing, but it will wilt very quickly. Lengths of 4-6 inches should be sufficient for all but very large wreaths.

Submerge foliage in water immediately and soak for at least 30 minutes. Wash leaves gently before removing from water. Fill sink with water and soak oasis ring.

Arrange clippings around ring, being careful to cover all of the oasis. Insert the branches and stems into the oasis. Look at the wreath from different angles to be certain no holes exist.

Prop wreath carefully in standing position on a dishtowel for 15-20 minutes to drain off excess water.

It will be necessary to soak the wreath every day or so to keep it fresh. Remember to let it drain each time before you hang it.

_______________________________________

Holiday Recipes

Pickled Everything
This year I’m giving my friends a pickled six-pack. I’m pickling asparagus, red onion, etc. But the best are spiced grapes. They’re great at room temperature or cold, straight from the fridge. Serve with cheese, or pork—or enjoy as a midnight snack.
—Reg Land, The Land Co.

Spiced Grapes
(makes 2 pints)

 1     pound red grapes
 3/4  cups sugar
 1     cup champagne
        vinegar or white
        wine vinegar
 1     cup dry white wine
 1     bay leaf
 1     cayenne pepper, fresh (for heat)
 1     lemon, sliced (for color)
        Allspice berries (just a few)
        Canning jar

Wash grapes and dry. Add to canning jar.

Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 minute. Taste. Add sugar, if you like a sweeter taste, but they’re very good when tart.

Allow the brine to cool until just warm to the touch, then pour over grapes.

Seal and store in the pantry or refrigerator. The grapes will keep forever.

————————


Light My Fire
Every Christmas Eve we get together at my Aunt Charlotte’s house and have a casual celebration. Everyone brings one of the family’s favorite recipes: the queso dip with sausage, my Aunt’s famous beer bread, and my Mom’s chipped beef dip. For dessert, we have birthday cake, to remind us what Christmas is really all about, and Cherries Jubilee over ice cream. (By the by, Cherries Jubilee is also a great topping for pancakes on New Year’s Day.)
—Lindley Welch, Fabric Factory

Aunt Charlotte’s Cherries Jubilee

 2     cans Bing cherries, pitted
 1/4  cup sugar
 1/4  cup Karo syrup
 2     sticks cinnamon
 1     teaspoon lemon juice
 2     teaspoons cornstarch
 1     tablespoon water
 1/4  cup brandy, or to taste

Drain cherries. Add juice, sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and lemon juice to saucepan. Cook on low heat. Dissolve 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water, then add to pot to thicken sauce. Stir until thick, then turn off heat and let sit to mingle flavors.

Before serving, remove cinnamon sticks, add cherries, and warm the mixture. Pour into a low dish. Add 1/4 cup of brandy—or more, to your liking—and ignite.

————————

Nuts to You
One of my favorite recipes to make during the holidays is one I got from a friend in New Orleans, spiced pecans. They’re perfect with drinks when friends come over, and they also make a nice gift.
Joyce Fox, Joyce Fox Interiors

Spiced Creole Pecans
(makes 2 cups)

 2  cups pecan halves
 2  tablespoons melted butter
 2  tablespoons fresh rosemary
 2  tablespoons fresh oregano
 1  tablespoon coarse salt
 1  teaspoon black pepper
 1  teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Chop all ingredients, except pecans and butter, in food processor. Toss pecans in herb mixture and melted butter. Spread in a shallow baking pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. 

————————

Kooky for Cookies
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without my favorite cookie recipe. The cookies are easy to make, festive, and will make you the hit of the office party or cookie swap.
Carl Ramon, Gabberts Design Studio

Coconut Cookies
(makes 3 dozen small cookies)

 2     sticks butter (not margarine)
 1/2  cup sugar
 2     cups flour
 1     teaspoon vanilla
 3     ounces canned coconut flakes (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour, coconut, and vanilla. Roll dough into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Flatten with fork and bake 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when almost cool.

————————

Bread Basket
I prepare for the holidays by baking lots of mini loaves of bread. This recipe was my grandmother’s. Her name was Grace Irene. She wasn’t big on fruitcake, but she sure liked to make what she called “sweet breads.” To present these as gifts, I tuck a loaf and a few gourmet tea bags into a pair of ceramic tea cups.
Marti Olden, Gabberts Design Studio

Grace Irene’s Apricot-Orange-Cranberry Bread
(makes 5 small loaves)
 
 3 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2  teaspoons double-acting baking powder
 1        teaspoon baking soda
 1        teaspoon salt
 1        stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
 1        cup sugar
 1        tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon orange zest, freshly grated
 2        large eggs
 2/3     cup fresh orange juice
 2/3     cup milk
 2/3     cup dried apricots, finely chopped
 2/3     cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
 3        cups cranberries, picked over and chopped
 
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar, then beat in zest and eggs, one at a time. Beat in orange juice and milk. Beat mixture until well combined (it will appear curdled).

Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in apricots, walnuts, and cranberries.

Divide batter among five buttered and floured loaf pans, each 53/4 by 31/4 by 2 inches, and bake breads in middle of a preheated 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove breads from pans and cool, right sides up, on a rack. Loaves will keep, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil, chilled for 1 week or frozen for 2 months. 

_______________________________________

Gifted
Gift certificates, memberships, or tickets for the person who has everything and your other hard-to-buy-for friends.

Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
214-515-6500 or www.dallasarboretum.com.
Eight memberships—from an individual year-round pass ($45) to the Friends of the Arboretum ($1,500-plus).

Dallas Symphony Orchestra
214-692-0203 or www.dallassymphony.com.
Your options range from Overture Member ($50-$99) to Conductor’s Circle ($1,000-$1,999) to six levels in the Stradivarius Patron Program ($2,000 or more).

The Science Place
214-428-5555 or www.scienceplace.com.
Levels of membership go from Student ($35) to Associate Plus ($125 + $10 per child).

Casa Mañana Theatre
817-332-2272 or www.casamanana.org.
Buy gift tickets to a range of shows, everything from “Mamma Mia” ($20-$89) to “The Hobbit” ($10-$12) for the kids.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
817-738-9215 or www.themodern.org.
Fifty bucks gets you a basic membership, or join the President’s Circle for $5,000.

The Dallas World Aquarium
214-720-2224 or www.dwazoo.com.
Eleven options starting at the $45 individual pass.

Old City Park
214-421-5141 or www.oldcitypark.com.
Give your nephew the Scout pass ($60) and buy your dad the Curator’s Circle membership ($1,250).

The Fort Worth Zoo
817-871-7000 or www.fortworthzoo.com.
Buy Safari Club memberships for the whole family ($35-$50 for adults; $17.50-$20 for children).

The Dallas Zoo
214-670-5656 or www.dallas-zoo.org.
For the animal lover: packages range from individual ($40) to sponsor ($500) level.

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
817-255-9300 or www.fwmuseum.org.
Family Discovery packages available ($75-$150) .

Dallas Mavericks
214-747-MAVS.
Go Mavs! Buy season tickets (starting at $765 per seat) or 10-game mini-plans ($290-$370).

Dallas Burn
214-979-0303 or www.dallasburn.com.
Buy a box-seat season ticket ($1,350) or the Flexi-pass ($240 for 20 vouchers).

The Women’s Museum
214-915-0872 or www.thewomensmuseum.org.
A great museum and a good cause. Memberships range from $50 to $1,000.

Dallas Museum of Natural History
214-421-3466 or www.dallasdino.org.
Perfect for the budding paleontologist: memberships run $50-$1,000.

Dallas Museum of Art
214-922-1200 or www.dm-art.org.
Support the arts: member ($60) to the Monet Circle ($15,000, $25,000, or $50,000).

Kimbell Art Museum
817-332-8451 or www.kimbellart.org.
Plunk down $30 to be a subscriber, or pony up $10,000 to become a “benefactor.”

The Mansion on Turtle Creek
214-559-2100 or www.mansiononturtlecreek.com.
Give a three-course dinner for two ($175) or spring for the Mansion Experience Package ($432).

And there’s always:
Blockbuster
, www.blockbuster.com.

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