Out & About

December 2014

Dec. 2-24

Sights and Sounds of the Season

All month long, local performers take the stage at NorthPark Center, including the Booker T. Washington jazz ensemble, the Dallas Ballet Company and the Temple Emanu-El Choir, just to name a few. Go online for a full schedule.

NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central, 214.363.7441, northparkcenter.com, free

THROUGH DEC. 6

‘Oil on Canvas’

Preston Hollow resident David Dike hosts an exhibit of modern folk paintings from artist Jon Flaming. The collection depicts the hard, hands-on work of the oil and gas boom in Texas.

David Dike Fine Art, 2613 Fairmount, 214.720.4044, daviddike.com, free

DEC. 3-7

‘Look Homeward, Angel’

In this coming-of-age play, set in Altamont, N.C., Eugene Gant’s mother runs a Dixieland boarding house. Based on the autobiographical novel by Thomas Wolfe, this play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1958. Performances begin at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Greer Garson Theatre in Owen Arts Center, 6101 Bishop at SMU, 214.768.2787, $13 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for students, faculty and staff

DEC. 6 & 14

Fresh wreaths and greenery

North Haven Gardens hosts a workshop on how to creatively work with fresh greenery to make your own living wreath, from 3-4:30 p.m. Each attendee receives a blank 18-inch noble wreath as well as juniper, pine and magnolia for decorating. Wire is provided, but participants should bring their own snips or pruners as well as gloves. Advance registration is required. North Haven Gardens, 7700 Northaven, 214.363.5316 nhg.com, $49.99

DEC. 7, 14 & 21

Santa Days

The Plaza at Preston Center presents its annual Santa Days, featuring photos with Santa and his live reindeer, free with a donation to the North Texas Food Bank. 8311 Preston Center Plaza, 469.232.0000, theplazaatprestoncenter.com

DEC. 7

‘Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming’

Children’s choirs join the handbell choir and Lux Mundi ensemble to perform seasonal favorites. Festivities begin at 3 p.m. Ornament decoration, refreshments and a Christmas tree raffle follow the concert.

St. Rita Catholic Community Church, 12521 Inwood, 972.934.8388, stritaparish.net, free

Dec.

14

Santa Sunday

Santa arrives at the Frontiers of Flight Museum by helicopter to let his reindeer rest up before Christmas Eve. Celebrate his arrival with cookies, treats and activities including building paper helicopters, from 2-5 p.m. Frontiers of Flight Museum, 6911 Lemmon, 214.350.3600, flightmuseum.com, $5-$8, children under 3 free

Dec. 17

Menorah lighting

Rabbi Dubrawsky from the Chabad of Dallas will celebrate Chanukah with the lighting of the menorah in the Festival of Lights at 6:30 p.m. Complimentary refreshments to follow.

NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central, 214.363.7441, northparkcenter.com, free

DEC. 16

‘Bob Humbug’

Like the Grinches and Scrooges before him, tree-dwelling Bob Humbug has no love for happy holidays. From 10:3011:30 a.m., join master storyteller Rolanda Brigham to discover what happens when four friendly city-born children come crashing into his solitary life determined to become his friends. Craft to follow.

Preston Royal Library, 5626 Royal, 214.670.7128, dallaslibrary2.org, free

THROUGH JAN. 13

All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas at the White House 2002

In 2002, Laura Bush selected the joy and comfort pets have brought presidents and their families during their time in the White House as the theme for her holiday decor. Museum archivists and curators are re-creating the 2002 White House holiday displays, incorporating White House decorations, behind-the-scenes photos and video, and other material.

George W. Bush Presidential Center, 2943 SMU Boulevard, 214.200.4300, bushcenter.org, $10-$16

The origins of JK Chocolate’s sinfully rich chocolate sauce began innocently enough: Preston Hollow neighbors and longtime friends Julie Tobolowsky and Karleen Kusin bestowed the homemade sauces as gifts for their kids’ schoolteachers every year. With four children each, Tobolowsky and Kusin had ample time to perfect their recipe. The teachers began to ask for more chocolate sauce, Kusin says, but there was the business of raising children.

“When we hit the empty-nest phase of life, we knew it was time to go all-in, and that’s when JK Chocolate was born,” Kusin says. Now, two years later, the owners of JK Chocolate call themselves “chocolate executive officers,” and they’re making more than their original chocolate sauce. While entertaining friends last year, Tobolowsky and Kusin baked bite-size cookies — chocolate chips lightly covered with a thin, crunchy layer of dough — just for fun.

“We made sliders and other bite-size appetizers for friends, and then we experimented by making the smallest cookies we could possibly make, and it got a little competitive,” Tobolowsky recalls. When JK officially introduced Microchip cookies, the response was so positive that Katie Couric featured the women on her daytime talk show. Now there’s a lineup of nine tiny cookie varieties, including the new snickerdoodle and sugar cookies. Four-inch pound cakes, which come in flavors such as chocolate and cinnamon streusel, are other recent additions. Kusin says that since opening a retail shop within their commercial kitchen on Lovers Lane this year, more than a few customers have rushed in looking to satisfy a chocolate fix. But Tobolowsky says the addictive nature of their sweets does have one pitfall.

AMBIANCE: CASUAL

PRICE RANGE: PARTY FAVORS $3-$12; TINS AND GIFT BOXES $14 AND UP

HOURS: 10 A.M.-4 P.M. MONDAY-FRIDAY

“When I go to see my grandbabies, I can’t arrive emptyhanded,” she says with a laugh. “They’re always hoping that I’m bringing them cookies, too.”

—Whitney Thompson

DID YOU KNOW? THE METAL WORK INSIDE THE SHOP IS THE HANDIWORK OF JULIE’S HUSBAND, SCULPTOR GEORGE TOBOLOWSKY. HIS EXHIBITION ”DISCOVER THE MENORAH” WAS FEATURED IN THE MUSEUM OF BIBLICAL ART.