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  • Spice Up Your Christmas: 16 Fun and Creative Gift Exchange Games

    Spice Up Your Christmas: 16 Fun and Creative Gift Exchange Games

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    Let’s get festive and have some fun with Christmas gift exchanges!

    Fun and Creative Gift Exchange Games

    Have you attended a Christmas gift exchange before? If not, I highly recommend throwing one for your friends or family!

    Here’s the deal: everyone brings a wrapped gift and takes turns selecting and opening presents. The best part? You never know what gift you’ll end up with! It’s all about the excitement and anticipation of the exchange.

    So, if I’ve convinced you to have a gift exchange this year, let’s start the holiday party and make memories with these awesome gift exchange games!

    1. The Classic Yankee Swap Gift Exchange

    The classic Yankee Swap Gift Exchange (also known as White Elephant) is a fun and exciting game for Christmas parties. It’s a game where participants bring a wrapped gift and take turns choosing a gift from the pile or stealing a gift that someone else has already opened.

    To play the game, participants draw numbers to determine the order in which they will choose a gift. The first person selects a gift from the pile and opens it. The second person can either choose a gift from the pile or steal the gift that the first person opened. If a gift is stolen, the person who had it stolen can either choose a new gift from the pile or steal someone else’s gift.

    The game continues in this fashion until all the gifts have been opened. The last person to go can steal any previously opened gifts or keep the gift they opened.

    The Yankee Swap Gift Exchange is a great game because it adds an element of surprise and excitement to the traditional gift exchange. It’s also a game that can be played with a large group of people, making it perfect for office parties or family gatherings.

    2. December Dice Gift Game

    Here’s how the December dice gift game works: everyone brings a wrapped gift of equal value. From practical goodies to quirky surprises, anything goes! Then, you get in a circle, grab a pair of dice, and let the games begin.

    In the first round, everyone goes in a circle and chooses a gift. Then, you start rolling, and the game proceeds according to the list above. For example, if you roll a six, everyone has to pass their gift to the person on their right. If you roll a 12, you can freeze your gift and keep it for the rest of the game or switch with anyone you want.

    This is such a fun take on the typical White Elephant exchange! It’s unpredictable and a little less savage than the usual White Elephant procedure, so it’s extra fun for everyone.

    3. Scrooge Your Neighbor

    The “Scrooge Your Neighbor” game requires a little prep, but it is the ultimate way to add friendly competition to your holiday festivities.

    Here’s how it works: everyone brings a wrapped gift to the party – nothing fancy, just something anyone would enjoy. Then, the gifts are all placed in one central location. Each person gets a number to determine the order in which they’ll choose a gift.

    The game is the same as other gift exchanges — everyone gets to pick a gift and unwrap it. But the difference is in the cards you’re dealt at the beginning. Depending on what you get, you can use these cards to make the game more strategic and get the gift you want. (Full instructions and printable cards are here!)

    What makes “Scrooge Your Neighbor” so awesome is all the interaction and excitement it brings. You can get super sneaky and try outsmarting your neighbors with your stealing tactics. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to bond with your friends and create hilarious memories.

    4. Christmas Never Have I Ever Gift Exchange

    Get ready for the ultimate Christmas gift exchange game – the Christmas Never Have I Ever Gift Exchange!

    All you have to do is bring a wrapped present of similar value to the party – it could be anything from a hilarious coffee mug to a gift card for a local restaurant.

    Once everyone’s gathered, the game kicks off! The first person starts by saying, “Never have I ever…” followed by a statement. For example, “Never have I ever gone skydiving.” If anyone in the room has gone skydiving, they have to stand up and swap gifts with someone else on their feet. And the game just keeps going, with each person taking turns making statements. 

    This game is an absolute blast that gets everyone involved and laughing. It’s a chance to learn new things about your friends and family while scoring a cool new present to take home.

    5. Santa’s Helper Gift Exchange

    This game is all about adding some excitement to your gift exchange and helping others instead of picking for yourself!

    Everyone brings a wrapped gift to the party and puts it in the center. Then, you all draw numbers to determine who chooses a gift first. You also each fill out a special card with your likes and dislikes (this site has printables for this), and everyone draws a person for whom they will pick.

    The first player picks a gift and opens it. The next player can either steal that gift or choose a new one from the pile. If your gift gets stolen, you can steal someone else’s or pick a new one.

    We keep going like this until everyone has chosen a gift. Finally, your gift goes to the person on your card. It makes the game so much more fun and cooperative to choose for someone else instead of stealing for yourself!

    Feeling as lost on how to wrap those gifts? Check out these 13 Genius Gift Wrapping Ideas, and you’ll be on your way to winning the coveted award for Best Wrapped Presents!

    6. Twelve Days Of Christmas Gift Exchange Game

    Twelve Days Of Christmas Gift Exchange Game is a fun and exciting way to celebrate with your loved ones. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to add a little twist to their traditional gift exchange.

    Everyone participating brings a wrapped gift that fits within a certain price range. Then you write down sets of numbers based on how many people you have (for instance, if you have ten people, you write down numbers 1-10 on pieces of paper). The first set of numbers go in a bowl for the group to choose from, and the second group of numbers goes in a bag. There’s also a bowl of action cards themed around the 12 days of Christmas. (Printables here!)

    Like the classic Christmas carol, the game features cards themed around the song. Each person starts with a gift and a number. Then they choose a game card when their number comes up and everyone does the action listed on the card.

    This game is a really fun way to get to know your friends and it’s random enough that it’s not brutal or cutthroat the way other games are. It’s just fun for everybody!

    7. Lucky Last Line Gift Game

    Let’s talk about the Lucky Last Line Gift Game. It’s a simple and fun game that only requires one present and a poem.

    A single present is wrapped in layers, with a stanza of a poem written between each layer. Play proceeds around the circle, every person unwrapping a layer until one person reaches the “last line” and gets the gift instead of a poem stanza.

    This is great if you just want to set something up at the last minute and don’t want to have everyone bring a gift.

    9. Rock Paper Scissors Gift Game

    Alright, folks, here’s a game that puts a twist on the classic Rock Paper Scissors! Get ready for laughter and excitement at your gift exchange.

    First things first, everyone coming to the party should bring a wrapped gift. Put all the gifts in a central spot for everyone to see.

    The first player picks a gift from the pile and opens it. Then, the second player takes a turn and opens a gift too. If the second player likes the first player’s gift more, they can try to steal it by playing a game of rock, paper, scissors. If the second player wins, they get to trade gifts. If they lose, they have to keep their original gift and play proceeds to the next player until everyone has gone.

    9. Switch Steal Unwrap Dice Game

    So, this game is all about having a blast with your friends. It’s played with dice and a pile of wrapped gifts. Picture this: everyone’s sitting in a circle, each with a randomly chosen gift in front of them. The excitement begins when someone rolls the dice. 

    They’ve got three options depending on what they roll: switch everyone’s gifts to the left or right, steal another gift, or simply unwrap their own. Oh, and here’s the deal: a gift can only be stolen three times before it’s off-limits.

    Now, the fun keeps going, with each person taking their turn, rolling the dice, and making their move.

    This game is perfect for any holiday party. It’s super easy to play and suitable for people of all ages. Plus, with the dice element, you never know what will happen next – it’s unpredictable and fun!

    The Switch Steal Unwrap Dice Game is a must-try if you’re planning a cool gift exchange party. 

    10. Left Right Story Gift Exchange Game

    How about trying out an awesome game called the Left Right Story Gift Exchange Game? It will bring so much laughter and cheer to your holiday get-together. 

    Here’s how you play: everyone sits in a circle with their wrapped gift. Then, the host reads a Christmas-themed poem. Whenever the word “left” pops up, everyone passes their gift to the left. 

    And when the word “right” comes up, it’s time to pass the gift to the right. Simple right? Once the poem ends, everyone can open the gift they’re holding. This game is super cool for big groups and will ensure that everyone gets in on the gift exchange fun. 

    Plus, it’s an awesome way to add excitement to your Christmas party and bring out that holiday spirit! So, if you’re up for a fun and unique way to swap gifts this Christmas, give the Left Right Poem Gift Exchange Game a shot. Trust me, it’s going to be awesome!

    11. Heads Or Tails Gift Exchange Game

    This heads or tails game is incredibly simple and a blast for groups of any size and age! It’s guaranteed to bring loads of laughter and excitement to your holiday festivities.

    To get started, each player brings a wrapped gift to the party. They should be of similar value and can range from toys and games to household items or gift cards. Once everyone’s here, the host grabs a coin and the game begins.

    Play goes around the table, and as each player goes, they predict whether their coin will show heads or tails. Then, they flip. If the coin lands on the player’s chosen side, they get to pick a gift from the pile and unwrap it. If it doesn’t, play proceeds to the next player without a gift.

    The fun goes on until all the gifts are snatched up. At this point, play changes. The next round, a correct guess will give you the option to keep your gift permanently or trade with someone else. An incorrect guess will move play to the next player. This continues until everyone has gone.

    For additional Christmas party inspiration, look at these 25 Christmas Party Ideas for the Ultimate Holiday Gathering.

    12. Santa Toss Gift Exchange

    Let me tell you about this awesome game called Santa Toss Gift Exchange. It’s super easy to play – all you need is a Santa hat and a few wrapped gifts. 

    Here it goes: players toss the Santa hat onto a designated spot, like a chair or table. Depending on where the hat lands, you can choose a gift from the pile or steal one from someone else. How fun is that?

    Here’s the exciting part: you can make it even more interesting by adding special rules to different landing spots. For instance, if the hat lands on the floor, everyone has to switch gifts with the person to their left. And if it lands on a specific person, they decide who goes next. It’s all about keeping the game fresh and exciting!

    Getting this game started is super easy. Each person brings a wrapped mug filled with small gifts like candy, tea bags, or hot chocolate mix. 

    To kick things off, everyone picks a number from a hat. The person with number one gets to choose a wrapped mug and open it up.

    Now, here’s where it turns into a typical White Elephant game. The second person can either steal the first person’s mug or grab a new one from the pile. It’s all about strategy and fun surprises! If someone’s mug gets stolen, they can pick a new one to replace it.

    The game keeps going until everyone has their special mug. And guess what? The person with the last number can steal any mug they want! The game ends once everyone has their very own mug.

    Let me tell you, mug gift exchange is a fantastic way to have a blast and exchange gifts during the holiday season. It’s also a perfect opportunity to get creative! To make it extra fun, you can personalize your mug with cool designs or messages.

    14. Grinch Gift Exchange

    So, here’s the deal. For the Grinch Gift Exchange game, once again, each person brings a wrapped gift to the party. Everyone randomly chooses a gift, and then the host reads out the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

    Whenever the host says “WHO,” everyone passes their gift to the right. At the end of the story, everyone opens their gift and sees what they got! It’s non-competitive and a great way for everyone to get a gift and hear a cute holiday story.

    15. The Gift Grab Bag Gift Exchange Game

    The Gift Grab Bag game is a fun and exciting game for Christmas parties that’s only time-consuming to set up for the host. It’s great for last-minute parties for that reason since you don’t have to coordinate everyone bringing something.

    Here’s how the game works, according to LovetoKnow:

    1. Wrap all the gifts before the party and place them in a large box or bag.
    2. Hand each guest a playing card as they arrive at the party.
    3. At exchange time, pull out a second deck of playing cards.
    4. Pull a card out of the deck and hold it up. The person with the matching card pulls a gift from the bag, leaving it wrapped.
    5. Continue pulling cards until everyone has a gift; if there are leftover gifts, reshuffle and continue. Some people may end up with two gifts.
    6. After all the gifts are chosen, give guests five minutes to trade their still-wrapped gifts with other attendees.
    7. After five minutes are up, everyone opens their presents.
    Pictionary KitPictionary Kit
    Button that reads Buy from Amazon.comButton that reads Buy from Amazon.com

    Pictionary is a fun and interactive game perfect for any Christmas party. It is a game that people of all ages and skill levels can play. And you can always include a gift element!

    So, here’s how you play: grab a whiteboard or a large piece of paper, some markers, and a pile of wrapped gifts off to the side. Each person takes turns doodling a word or phrase while the other people try to guess what’s being drawn. 

    For each round, the first person to guess correctly gets to either open a new gift (if they don’t have one), steal someone else’s gift, or save their gift from being stolen that round and nominate someone without a gift to pick a gift and open it. They will then draw next. Play proceeds until all the gifts have been selected.

    Pictionary gets everyone involved in the party and sparks creativity and imagination. It’s the ultimate way to have a blast! So give Pictionary a shot, and prepare for fun and laughter at your Christmas party!

    What are your favorite Christmas gift exchange games?

    Gift exchange games are a great way to bring people together and create lasting memories. They add an element of fun and excitement to any holiday gathering and can be enjoyed by all ages. 

    Whether you’re a college student or just young at heart, these games are perfect for all ages. Prepare to swap gifts like never before and make this Christmas one to remember. Happy gifting!

    Are you still searching for holiday gift ideas? Explore our related posts below for inspiration!

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    Team CF

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  • How to Pop a Bottle of Champagne With Zero Fear

    How to Pop a Bottle of Champagne With Zero Fear

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    How To Open a Bottle of Champagne

    To open a bottle of champagne, remove the foil from the top by pulling off the tab on the side (this is usually a red string). Remove the foil from the on top of the cork. Untwist the wire covering from around the cork and discard. Use a kitchen towel to carefully move the cork back and forth slightly with one hand and use the other to hold the bottle of champagne in place. Repeat this motion until the cork comes out of the top.

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    Emma Christensen

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  • The Case for Debt-Ceiling Optimism

    The Case for Debt-Ceiling Optimism

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    As the government careens toward the brink of default without a deal to lift the debt limit, an unlikely source of reassurance has emerged.

    “I think everyone needs to relax,” Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday in his home state of Kentucky. “The country will not default.” The longtime Republican leader, who once boasted of being the Senate’s “grim reaper,” isn’t known for his soothing bedside manner. His equanimity was hard to reconcile with the vibes emanating from the Capitol on that particular day, where House Republican negotiators were accusing their Democratic counterparts in the White House of intransigence and insisting that the sides remained far apart.

    The Treasury Department has said that if Congress does not raise the nation’s borrowing limit, the government could, as early as June 1, default on its debt for the first time. The economic repercussions could be catastrophic—first a market crash, then, economists believe, a recession. Because the House and Senate would need at least a few days to approve any agreement that President Joe Biden strikes with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the real deadline could be even sooner.

    But McConnell, who has spent nearly half of his 81 years on Earth in the Senate, has seen more than a few difficult negotiations. Despite all the histrionics—the censorious sound bites, the “red lines” each side has drawn, the breakdowns and “pauses”—the talks thus far haven’t looked all that different from past Washington deadline dances, which tend to end with a deal. “This is not that unusual,” McConnell said.

    Read: Why Biden caved

    The public feuding is actually a good sign, and so, in a way, is the delay. “They need this to run to the very last minute,” Brendan Buck, a former aide to Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, told me. As Buck sees it, the theatrics between GOP and Democratic leaders is a necessary precursor to a deal, because it shows partisans on their respective sides that they fought as hard as they could before reaching a compromise.

    Biden and McCarthy are trying to find a solution that can pass both a Republican-controlled House and a Democratic-controlled Senate. A quick-and-tidy agreement is likely to be viewed suspiciously by both parties, and particularly the GOP’s hard-right faction, which made McCarthy sweat out 15 votes to become speaker. “There’s no way McCarthy could have walked in two weeks ago, had a one-hour meeting with the president, and come out and said, ‘We have a deal,’” Matt Glassman, a former congressional aide who is now a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute, told me. “That would be just deadly for him with his conference.”

    Today’s impasse has drawn comparisons to the debt-ceiling negotiations in 2011 between Boehner and then-President Barack Obama. Those talks featured even more drama, including the sudden collapse of a “grand bargain” and, later, a worried prime-time address to the nation from Obama. Even though the two parties have since drifted further apart (mostly thanks to the GOP’s move rightward), the gap between them in these negotiations is much smaller.

    Back then, Obama was pushing aggressively for tax increases, while Boehner wanted several trillion dollars in spending cuts, including major changes to entitlement programs. Biden initially took a harder line this time, refusing for months to engage McCarthy in negotiations over the debt ceiling. But since backing off that position, he’s made only half-hearted—and swiftly rejected—attempts to get McCarthy to raise taxes or make any kind of policy concession. To the frustration of progressives, he’s even seemed willing to tighten work requirements for people receiving federal safety-net benefits. Republicans, for their part, have agreed not to seek cuts to Medicare or Social Security. “I don’t actually think this is that difficult of a deal to reach,” Buck said. Getting that deal through the House and the Senate, he said, will be more difficult, which is why both Biden and McCarthy will need to save the biggest deadline pressure for the votes themselves.

    Conor Clarke: There is no constitutional end run around the debt ceiling

    By most accounts, the parties are haggling chiefly over whether to freeze government spending at current levels—Biden’s latest offer—or cut as much as $130 billion by reverting to 2022 spending, as Republicans have proposed. Republicans want to exempt the Defense Department from any cuts, which is a sticking point for Democrats.

    Considering the yawning philosophical differences between the parties, that’s not much of a gap. “Compromising over numbers isn’t that hard,” Glassman said. “It’s not like compromising over abortion.”

    Look closer and there are other reasons for optimism. Although some of McCarthy’s members are urging him to hold fast to the conservative provisions of the debt-ceiling bill Republicans narrowly passed last month, the speaker has moved off those demands. Even the blowups have been timed, either intentionally or coincidentally, to avoid spooking investors and causing stock markets to slide. The White House meetings between McCarthy and Biden, for example, have all occurred after the markets closed, and the biggest breakdown in the talks (so far) happened over the weekend before negotiations resumed on Monday.

    Republicans have many reasons for not causing a stock-market crash; the simplest is that they and many of their constituents would stand to lose a lot of money. Another possible reason is that party leaders, and McConnell especially, seem to recognize that a panic over the debt ceiling is not in their political interest and could undermine their negotiating position.

    McConnell is not a soothsayer—his prediction that Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP would loosen, for example, has not exactly panned out. Nor is his confidence that the country will avert default merely a forecast from a disinterested observer. If McConnell is saying it, he must think it benefits Republicans for him to do so.

    But even a self-interested assurance is one more indication of hope, a sign that Republicans want to prevent economic disaster. A debt-ceiling deal between Biden and McCarthy remains more likely than not. It might just take a few more days of posturing and setbacks before it happens.

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    Russell Berman

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  • See the Best-Dressed Stars at Vanity Fair’s Cannes Party

    See the Best-Dressed Stars at Vanity Fair’s Cannes Party

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    Vanity Fair

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  • “No Other Party Like This”: Inside Clive Davis’s Pre-Grammy Gala

    “No Other Party Like This”: Inside Clive Davis’s Pre-Grammy Gala

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    On Saturday, Clive Davis‘s star-studded pre-Grammy Gala returned for the first time since 2020, bringing together music icons, Grammy nominees, Oscar winners, politicians, Hollywood execs and tech titans to pay homage, celebrate and perform. 

    “I feel really lucky to be invited and be with so many legends,” Machine Gun Kelly, a first time guest, told Vanity Fair on the red carpet as he made his way into the gala. “I’m here with my wife [Megan Fox], so we’re going to have fun and celebrate. I hear it’s a cool party, the best party to be at.”

    Kelly will be attending the ceremony on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as a first time Grammy nominee hoping to take home the award for best rock album. “I have so much gratitude. It means so much to me,” he said. “To be in the same category with Ozzy Osbourne, Elvis Costello, Idles and Spoon is crazy.”

    Inside the Beverly Hilton’s famed ballroom, Kelly and Fox sat directly in front of the stage and were swarmed by guests. Avril Lavigne was among many that stopped by and had a long talk with Fox. Chance the Rapper and Diplo also greeted the couple while a few tables over were Lizzo and Cardi B. The two exchanged hugs and shared a boisterous conversation before Janelle Monáe joined in on the chat.

    Across the room, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson convened with Oscar winner Adrien Brody and his girlfriend, Marchesa fashion designer Georgina Chapman. Close by were Demi Lovato and her boyfriend Jutes. They posed for selfies and mingled with Olivia Rodrigo.

    The evening’s festivities began with Kevin Costner paying tribute to Whitney Houston, his co-star from the 1992 hit film The Bodyguard, and to honor Davis, who discovered Houston and mentored the late singer throughout her entire career. Houston died tragically in 2012 due to an accidental drowning (with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use) in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton the night before the Grammy Awards. She was staying at the hotel to attend Davis’s party that year.

    “For Clive, The Bodyguard will always be about the singer. It would always be about Whitney and that was all right with me,” Costner told the audience during his 11-minute speech about his unique relationship with Davis. “If Whitney didn’t work, the movie doesn’t either. That clarity, that single mindedness is what I love about Clive.”

    Costner continued his remarks to say Davis changed many lives for the better and began to choke up, fighting back his emotions when he spoke about Houston’s death. “Neither one of us in the end could protect your beloved Whitney, but your fingerprints on her life are clean my friend. Clive, you are a miracle in her life,” Costner said. “Thank you for being her bodyguard Clive, and for every person in this room that you have stood behind and stood for. Everyone in this business has a mom, but not everyone gets a Clive.”

    Jennifer Hudson took to the stage to pay her respects by singing a rendition of Houston’s 1986 hit “Greatest Love of All” and received a standing ovation.

    JC Chasez of NSYNC fame has been invited to Davis’s party numerous times and enjoys that details are never released in advance. “I love that this event is full of surprises. You never know coming in who all is going to be performing,” he said. “You’re always surprised by who actually goes up there.”

    This year’s surprise performers included Lizzo, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello with Latin Grammy winner Juanes, Lil Wayne, Grammy nominated Italian rockers Måneskin, and Frankie Valli. The 88-year-old Valli sang “Can’t Take My Eyes off You,” which made Chance the Rapper, Kelly and Fox jump to their feet and sing along to the chorus line “I love you baby!”

    In between sets, Apple CEO Tim Cook was spotted deep in discussion with Hollywood producer Brian Grazer. Nearby Charlie Puth spoke with Oscar and Grammy winner H.E.R. Across the room congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi made the rounds and said hello to singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. The three exchanged pleasantries and posed for photographs together.

    Carlile is nominated for a whopping seven Grammys, including the coveted album of the year award. “To be nominated feels amazing because it’s my peers, it’s the people that I see at work everyday and play music with that are recognizing me,” said Carlile during red carpet arrivals. “No way did I think I would get that many. Nobody thought about that. That’s a dream beyond what I ever dreamed about. I just wanted to sing. It’s hard to conceptualize.”

    Carlile is also scheduled to perform a live set at the Grammys. She recalled the very first live performance she attended, which was The Judds in concert in 1988. “It was absolutely incredible. To see Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd, I will never forget it,” she said. “The Judds were really powerful and Wynonna Judd is still a very, very powerful artist. They were actually my first, second and third concert. That’s how much I love their music.”

    Grammy winner Cardi B, dressed in a stunning Roberto Cavalli dress, attended the gala with her husband Offset to present her Atlantic Records bosses Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman with the Recording Academy’s annual Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award.

    “When I was in the middle of making my first album, I was very scared. I was pregnant and I was afraid to tell anymore. I was afraid that people would want me to decide between my family and my career,” said Cardi B in her remarks. “But with Craig and Julie the exact opposite happened. They told me I could do both and I would never forget that. Craig held my hand during the entire time of making my album and it wasn’t easy, y’all … Julie, you’re such an inspiration. When I was crying you told me it was ok, and we will get things done. You’re such a boss ass bitch and such a wonderful mother. You’re the one that taught me you could have it all. And for that I truly thank you.”

    Other guests included Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Joni Mitchell, country star Luke Combs, Sharon Stone, Smokey Robinson, and Grammy winner Miranda Lambert.

    “Tonight is about making new friends outside of the country world,” said Lambert on the red carpet. “It’s a night where you come hang and have fun and see other artists in different genres and different occupations.  Last time I sat with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and they were amazing. It was a great table to be at. We had too much fun. There’s really no other party like this one.”

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    Paul Chi

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  • Parties are back, but how to dress? A holiday guide

    Parties are back, but how to dress? A holiday guide

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    NEW YORK (AP) — The season’s triple-virus threat notwithstanding, parties are back, and they’ve brought with them the potential for some dress code chaos.

    White tie, black tie, black tie creative/festive, semiformal: It might take some extra re-entry energy to figure out these pre-pandemic guidelines in an exhausted world more used to sweats and sneakers.

    Invitations sometimes don’t specify attire, leaving it until the RSVP phase or expecting guests to infer based on experience or an event’s description. That was perhaps easier pre-pandemic, but many people are ready to take on the challenge, shed their cozy, casual duds and dress up once again.

    “The stories I’m hearing from people is that they’re happy for an opportunity to get out of the sweatpants,” said Lizzie Post, Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter and co-author of a rejuvenated new edition of “Emily Post’s Etiquette” to mark the book’s centennial.

    With help from the Posts, a rundown from the most formal to the least formal attire:

    WHITE TIE

    This, the most formal traditional attire, involves a white bow tie, black jacket with tails, matching trousers and white vests for evening. Swap in a morning coat for day.

    Think royal events, ultra-galas or super formal weddings.

    “I think the thing that people are most unsure about is formal attire because most of us have few occasions to ever wear it,” Post said. “That’s one most people get stressed about, but it’s a category that’s pretty well-defined.”

    By well-defined, she means: trousers with a satin or braid stripe; plain-front, wing-collar, French cuff shirts; stiff white pique vests; cuff links or studs; black or white braces; black socks; and black patent-leather pumps or lace-up Oxfords. Studs for buttons or covered buttons are options.

    Chesterfield coats, which are formal, dark-colored and knee-length with velvet collars, are suitable as outerwear for cold weather, as opposed to one’s down parka.

    Gowns are floor length, or possibly VERY formal two-piece outfits, with optional gloves of varying lengths. A dress-pant combo is rare.

    BLACK TIE

    It’s the next most formal attire, and means tuxedos in black or midnight blue. Collars can be wing or regular in white. Bow ties are black. So are braces or suspenders. Vests are optional, but forget the cummerbund if a vest is worn.

    Not any cummerbund will do. Make sure it matches bow tie and lapel fabrics. Footwear is the same as white tie. White dinner jackets are acceptable in the summer or warm climates.

    Gowns are floor length here, too, but can be more casual than white tie in materials and structure. A very formal cocktail dress might do if the hemline is at or below the knee.

    Black tie is far more familiar to many than white tie, Post said.

    BLACK TIE/CREATIVE/FESTIVE

    Attire is the same as black tie but with colors or embellishment added for a bit more dazzle.

    For dresses and two-piece outfits, there’s some wiggle room to experiment with color, texture and accessories, Post said.

    “It’s where you get the groomsman of a wedding wearing flip-flops instead of shoes because the wedding is at the beach and everything’s going to be on the sand,” she said.

    “It’s sometimes worn to celebrate a particular holiday or something like that. If I was invited to a festive, black-tie Christmas event, I’m searching for a bow tie and cummerbund that have Santa Claus or reindeer or something on them,” Post added.

    Be sensitive to other people’s cultures and holidays, she added.

    SEMIFORMAL

    Expect suits, jackets and ties with slacks, dress tops, dress pants, and maxi-length hems that are long but not full-on formal gowns. Tea-length, knee-length or two-piece outfits fit here.

    Think maxi dresses in a casual jersey knit for a beach wedding, or a jacket with corduroy pants and suede shoes for a gallery opening.

    It goes by other labels, too, such as “creative” semiformal when a “diamonds and denim” theme or a “dressy Western” vibe is noted, for instance.

    Semiformal events cover a lot of ground, from office holiday parties and charity events to retirement parties and milestone birthdays or anniversaries.

    “Given our day and age, people really like to be explicit on invitations for semiformal. Cocktail attire is a subset of this,” Post said.

    BUSINESS ATTIRE

    Dressing for work varies widely, but when business attire shows up on an invitation, tradition may kick in.

    The safest bet is suits and ties, button dress shirts, belts and dress shoes. Dress slacks or trousers with a dressy top are acceptable, along with a conservative dress (nothing too low-cut, short or luxurious), and close-toed shoes, all depending on how fashion-forward the crowd is expected to be.

    “It’s still important to be you,” Post urged.

    BUSINESS CASUAL

    Things get confusing here, too.

    Many who have returned to work are living in this zone, but what it means depends on the industry or company environment. It could mean a suit or seasonal jacket worn with no tie and trousers, or dress jeans with button-down or polo shirts or sweaters.

    Dress slacks or trousers with a more casual top might do the trick. The same is true of a skirt-and-top combo, though nothing too short or low cut, depending on the event.

    If an invitation says business casual, it may be up to you to figure out what’s acceptable.

    DRESSY CASUAL

    A little less tricky, but still dizzying.

    It can mean jeans and a sweater or a casual button shirt. It also means dress pants and a casual top, or casual pants and a dress top.

    Comfortable dresses or skirt-and-top combos also work. The best part: any shoes.

    “You want to feel out any event to make sure,” Post said.

    CASUAL

    Almost anything goes. Almost.

    Jeans, shorts, T-shirts, pullovers, hoodies, tank tops, dress or skirt with any top, any shoes.

    There are lines that can be crossed, however. Casual doesn’t mean unkempt. Leave the stained T-shirt at home, and perhaps the ripped jeans, too.

    “I think we’re all out of practice with these delineations, for sure,” Post said. “There’s been a gray haze of attire for most of us.”

    ___

    Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

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