Outside the sleek, contemporary Highland Park home of Jamie and Ian Charles, a child’s fantasy-land of imaginative Christmas decorations welcomed guests in the front yard, from a huge colorful airplane and a Teddy Bear to oversized wrapped presents and Santa Claus with his reindeer. The fanciful decorations punctuated the scene perfectly when the 2019 Cattle Baron’s Ball held its invitation-only holiday party at the Charles’s place on the evening of Thursday, December 13.
Surely it was a coincidence—the Charleses hadn’t hired them, had they?—but a police car even drove past the house with a bearded, red-suited Santa riding shotgun. He smiled and waved happily to the party-goers: “Merry Christmas, boys and girls!”
Inside, the house was decorated just as fancifully, albeit with a “cool” Southwestern-style flair. (Think a tall Christmas tree and stockings on the mantle—even some for the dogs and cats—but also cutting-edge art and a bunch of little skulls in the fireplace.) Jamie said they’d moved into the place in June. “We wanted it to be fun and inviting, and not feel stuffy,” she said. Mission accomplished.
All around her, meantime, guests were sharing holiday cheer including Tanya and Pete Foster, Olivia and Jeff Kearney, Mary Martha and John Pickens, Anne Stodghill, Kristina Wrenn, Katherine Wynne, Lisa Shirley and Wendy and Boyd Messmann. (Lisa and Wendy, of course, are this year’s Cattle Baron’s co-chairs.) Checking coats were future Cattle Barons Will Ogle and William Ledford. Wine was donated by Jackson Family Wines, and the holiday Champagne was courtesy of Favorite Brands LLC.