Let Them Eat Sugarplums

An unwrapped toy, in exchange for free-flowing vodka cocktails and delicious little nibbly things? Sounds good to us, and apparently to the lively crew of bright young things who gathered on the second floor of Cafeteria for the Hump Day
Holiday Party.  

No one was actually seen humping (turns out that’s a reference to Wednesday), but the second annual fundraiser for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, organized by preppy Pee-wee reboot Sean William Donovan, did attract the likes of Equinox Adonis Chad Flahive and his devastatingly handsome other half, Patrick Weiss, erudite English professor Carol-Ann Farkas, Mad Men Dick Carroll and Enrique Graber (spotted in a lip-lock), DJ Brek.One (who provided the soundtrack), the suspiciously blond Christopher Peirce Snow, nightlife and dating blogger Karyn Polewaczyk, purveyor of Waspy trappings Matthew Tara, interior-design avatar Stephanie Rossi, the uber-lovely Cordy Elkins, and a few party crashers who arrived sans toys and schnorred on the passed hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails while enjoying the wintry view of Newbury Street.

Nevertheless, it was still early by the time the toy drive table was as overflowing as Santa’s sleigh, and whether it was the chill outside or Tito’s Handmade Vodka, everyone’s cheeks were aglow with good cheer.

Not far from the bar, the following exchange actually took place: “The fried mac ’n’ cheese is magically delicious.”

“You mean sinfully delicious. Only frosted Lucky Charms are magically delicious.”

Meanwhile, the award for the evening’s most clueless remark goes to the person who didn’t stop to consider that, at a benefit for homeless children, it was in questionable taste to say, “I felt kind of silly buying a toy—I mean, all kids want these days are apps for their iPads, right?”

Black-Tie Is the New Orange

There’s something auspicious-sounding about “the 69th annual,” and the Winter Ball, held in the ballroom of the Boston Park Plaza, didn’t disappoint.

A benefit for Discovery Ensemble, the evening has morphed from a debutante ball into an all-inclusive pre-Christmas blowout, with a crowd that runs the gamut from A-gays to B-boys, all dressed in black-tie and gowns down to the ground.

Among the slinky crowd: the whiskey-voiced Smoki Bacon and her dapper other half, Dick Concannon, keeping an eye on their daughter and son-in-law, Hilary and Chris Gabrieli, who were dancing with their offspring, John and Abigail, who brought along about 25 of their classmates from Harvard, who proved that looks do count. Then there was Cary Grant impersonator CJ Menard, smoking-hot Red Cross head honcho Jarrett Barrios, the unfairly attractive Liz and Mike Fish, newlyweds Kyle and Greg Hemingway Dickinson, ubiquitous hipsters Paul Karger and Pamela Vargas, Bond girl Tatiana Webb, the naturally effervescent Chynna Pope, North Shore notable John Rando, professional bachelor Pierce Harman, MIT homologous recombinator (whatever that means) Jenny Kay, the intimidatingly Aryan Erik Schubert and Joe Schutt, and numerous dazzling others, who listened to a string quartet perform before packing the dance floor and tripping the light fantastic.

There were several conversations about Cartagena, Colombia (one couple was going for New Year’s, another had been there for New Year’s three years ago, and another is getting married there next month), while one man, when asked how he knew the woman he was with, said, “I went out with her roommate back when I still dated girls.”

However, that was topped when a beautiful blond journalist was asked how she knew a respected oncologist at Dana-Farber. Without missing a beat, she said, “Prison.”