Sharpen your carving knives, and hold your tongues (no money, politics, or religion at the table, remember?) … everyone’s favorite family holiday is but a week away! Well before Thanksgiving in Dallas, however, the neighborhoods are already a-twinkle with millions of lights, and horse-drawn carriages line the streets. Nary a snowflake is in sight, yet everything about this time of year still feels festive, warm, and welcoming. And as homes open their holly-decked halls for holiday soirees, the real magic begins. There is something uniquely special and inspiring about the season here, and I could think of no one better to guide us through the art of gracious entertaining than our Dallas doyenne herself: Kimberly Schlegel Whitman.

Kim needs little introduction—perhaps you’ve seen her on the Today Show, or read one of her numerous features in Town & Country or Southern Living, and one of her several books on artful hostessing may adorn your coffee table. Her warmth and graciousness shine through in all she undertakes, and she has become a favorite of mine for her kindness and positive attitude that uplift and inspire (and she also knows how to have a good laugh at her own expense… a skill we’d all do well to hone this season!). Read on for my first-ever Dallas-edition of Playing Favorites with Kimberly Whitman — we’re talking everything holiday, from why you should definitely spike the punch, to “apocalyptic” entertaining disasters!

How did you come to have so much expertise—and ease— when it comes to entertaining?

I don’t know that I have “ease,” but experience certainly makes it more comfortable every time. As with anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes, however, I find it more exciting than easy! I grew up in a house filled with parties. Some were small gatherings and formal dinners and others were fancy cocktail parties with hundreds of guests. My parents’ love of entertaining rubbed off on me I guess.

Congratulations on your recent Veranda feature! You have worked many times with the talented Jan Showers to create spaces to both cultivate your artful hosting and raise your lovely family. What is it about Jan and her style that make you such a great team?

Jan is wonderful to be around and makes the process so much fun. She is highly knowledgeable in quality and has taught me so much about what to look for in furniture and decorative arts. Her team is very organized and that is incredibly helpful. She is very candid with me about her thoughts on my ideas and she is a wonderful tie-breaker when my husband and I don’t care for the same thing! Jan has truly become a dear friend and like an aunt to us. Since my first apartment, she has been guiding me in creating a space that brings me comfort and joy!

Let’s talk about the “Dallas effect.” How do we recreate the same magic… on a smaller scale?

One of my favorite things about Dallas is that every style is celebrated! There is appreciation here for everything from an all-natural or very traditional holiday party to a glitzy-glam sparkly modern affair! The thing that most hostesses have in common is a passion for going all-out and that passion is what gives a celebration its magic. As long as you are excited about what you are doing, that will shine through. I think what most of my favorite Dallas hosts have in common is a willingness to try something new as well!

May I peek inside your china cabinet? I’d love to hear about how your collection started and why collecting beautiful pieces matters for the aspiring host.

My grandmothers and mother have always collected porcelain and beautiful items for the table and somehow that also became a passion for me. I remember my father’s mother coming home from her travels around the globe and bringing items for her table. She had very eclectic taste (as I do) and she wasn’t afraid to mix it up! My mother loves to change her table settings depending on the occasion and I love the way she plays with her collection. When I had a party-rental company, I would sometimes rent out her things to our clients! I can’t believe she let me do that! I really started collecting when we got married and we did our wedding registry. As I learned more and more about tabletop, I continued to hunt for antique pieces and vintage treasures. Now, part of the fun is the hunt! Sometimes, finding a great set of candlesticks will motivate me to host another dinner or completing set of collected vintage pieces will spur on a luncheon. Finding the treasures motivates me to entertain more often!

Are there any pieces that have a particularly special story?

So many do! That is what we love about collecting…every piece has a story whether that is in its provenance or an experience we had hunting or purchasing it! We have several pieces that belonged to our mothers. My sister, Kari, and I registered for the same Christmas China so that we can share when we have larger groups. My mother-in-law gave us her silver with a beautiful W monogram that we use on other items in our home as well. My mother has gifted me so many treasures including an incredible set of old tobacco leaf that she found at auction at Christies.

Family: love them or put up with them, we all have one! How do you keep things harmonious during the holidays? A secret ingredient in the punch, perhaps?

Entertaining is all about attitude, whether family or friends. It is about letting the little things pass and the celebrating everything else. A spiked punch might not hurt though!

Have you ever burned the turkey or otherwise had an entertaining disaster that you can laugh about in hindsight?

Oh my goodness – I’ve had so many entertaining disasters that I keep thinking I could write a whole book on them!

We recently hosted two close families to celebrate all our daughter’s summer birthdays. One of the other mothers offered to bring them a cake and I told her I would grab the candles when I was picking up the balloons. Without a thought, I grabbed three candles shaped as 6. When we placed them on the cake, we quickly realized that we had a “666” cake that didn’t exactly send the joyful birthday message we were going for! We laughed and, thank God, the girls had no idea what it meant!

One of my favorite stories comes from a friend though. He sets the chicest tables in Paris with his legendary collection of silver. One night, while seating his guests at one of his very formal dinners, he realized that he forgot to put napkins on the table. He promptly went to his catering staff and asked them put napkins on a silver tray and walk them around the table to place on all of the guests lap. He made up a story for his guests and told them that this was the style of the Emperor Napoleon and they were so impressed with his knowledge of the history of tables and dining etiquette! He waiting until the very end of the night before confessing that he made it up to cover his oversight but it was such a riot that now he makes it his signature move and places napkins that way at every dinner party.

What are you working on next that we can look forward to?

I love working with NorthPark Center and the Luxury Ambassador program there. It is such a great way to connect with new non-profits and learn more about why our Ambassadors are passionate about the non-profits that they choose! I am currently working with NorthPark on another entertaining story for the new issue of their magazine too! I’m also excited about a new book proposal that I am putting together now. I can’t wait to tell you more!

Let’s play favorites…

Thanksgiving side dish

My mother’s sweet potatoes that she makes with a tremendous amount of brown sugar and butter in a cast iron skillet.

family member you would call to tell a funny story

all of them! Group Family Text chain gets a lot of action in my family!

date night

Le Bilbouquet or Grange Hall

go-to holiday uniform

Belted red dress from Andrew Gn

Christmas movie

Elf!!!!!

festive activity in Dallas

I love taking my children to have their photo taken with Santa at NorthPark. They believe that he is the real Santa and all of the others are imposters! (I think they’re on to him!)

party trick

A punch bowl – so easy and it makes everyone so happy! (Kimberly’s book, Parties Around a Punch Bowl, makes a great hostess gift!)

China pattern

At Thanksgiving, Old Avesbury by Royal Crown Derby, At Christmas, Grenadiers by Bernardaud, The rest of the year gets a lot of Tobacco Leaf!

Pajamas

LOVE Lake Pajamas! There is nothing like snuggling up with Millie in a matching set.

holiday family tradition

The Candlelight Service at Church on Christmas Eve

guilty pleasure

McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream

Thank you so much, Kim, for your time and graciousness in Playing Favorites with me!