I stopped being a club promoter over a decade ago, (because, trust me, it was not a gig for girls,) but those were some of my most fun times, so I loved being in that dark, music-pounding environment again, along with about three hundred other happy revelers!<\/p>\n
![\"FFF's](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_5602.jpg\")
<\/a>FFF’s Winter Box. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
This fete celebrated FabFitFun\u2019s Winter Box, (which you can order on-line, and should<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s chockfull of goodies!!!) It was held at The Academy, a very spacious venue in Hollywood.\u00a0 Knowing how packed FFF\u2019s fetes get, my friend and I arrived on the early side, just in time to walk in with Misha Barton, who was on my favorite TV show of all time, The O.C<\/em>. I was happy to see her looking healthy and glamorous again. (You can see how she looks now in my next Celeb Sightings column next week.)<\/p>\n The fun began before we even entered<\/em> the premises!\u00a0 Right at the check-in tables, we were offered colorful blinking \u201cears\u201d on headbands, and festive glow sticks with which to create our own necklaces, bracelets, and whatever else our inventive minds could muster up.\u00a0 And then once inside, we discovered more of them on every table, and half-naked guys were even carrying them around on cigarette girl trays all night. Also on those trays offered were popcorn and donuts, both doused in pink to go along with the color scheme of the evening.<\/p>\n Some of the light-up “toys.” Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Some of you may remember that I can\u2019t stand even the smell<\/em> of donuts because my first job when I came out to LA as a teenager was at a donut shop, where we could eat as many as we wanted. So I can’t even hear<\/em> that word now! I would have been content with just eating that delish popcorn all night, but then one of the shirtless dudes came over to tell us to go behind the stage and up some steps to the giant patio, where we would find the\u00a0real\u00a0<\/em>chow.\u00a0 And there it was\u2014hot dogs and hamburgers (with vegan options, which I\u2019m sure many were thrilled to see,) and big bags of the most delicious chips ever!<\/p>\n After we were done with all that, and danced to the great DJ for a while, we finally started exploring the space.\u00a0 As we turned the first corner, there was an old-fashioned bathtub filled with mini bottles of wine.\u00a0 (It was pink, of course.)<\/p>\n Then, in the next room, there were tables of fries and mini meatball and caprese sandwiches.\u00a0 I think there was also a photo booth in there, but I didn\u2019t get that far into the area because I had eyes for only the vittles of course.\u00a0 (I actually feel bad about that\u2014this is the first year I don\u2019t have any pix of my friend and me at the FabFitFun soir\u00e9e.\u00a0 Quel damage.\u00a0 Serves me right for being food-obsessed.)<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of FFF.<\/p><\/div>\n As I left that area, I thought I spied an empty ice cream cup.\u00a0 I asked one of the walking-around guys if he knew where it was being served, and he pointed to an ice cream truck outside the main door, and he answered seriously, \u201cI think that white truck may have ice cream.\u201d\u00a0 Ya think??? An ice cream truck may have ice cream?! (These half-naked males were hired for their looks, not their brains, which was actually fine with me.)\u00a0 And it turned-out to be\u2026Mister Softee!!!\u00a0 I had not seen one of those since my teens years in Brooklyn!\u00a0 I was amazed.\u00a0 And thrilled.\u00a0 What better way to cap off an evening of fun fare than with a cone of soft-serve?\u00a0 With sprinkles, of course.<\/p>\n The evening got even better when I noticed people coming down some back stairs, carrying shopping bags.\u00a0 I wondered if there was a shopping area up there, but I should have known better\u2014this uber-generous organization, whose boxes now number over a million subscribers, was\u00a0gifting<\/em>\u00a0us everything!\u00a0 The bags contained items from their Winter Box, plus so much more.\u00a0 Even with all kinds of beauty products, jewelry cases, and designer mugs, my absolute favorite item was\u2026mascara!\u00a0 (I guess I am a low-maintenance girl after all.)\u00a0 That\u2019s the one thing I need in life right now.\u00a0 (And<\/em>\u00a0a diet plan!)<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of FFF.<\/p><\/div>\n There were also tons of open Winter Boxes all over the club, and the guests were happily foraging through them.\u00a0 (The only thing I<\/em> wanted out of the boxes, though, was a \u201cjade roller\u201d for the face, but alas, they were already procured by others.)<\/p>\n I was actually not even expecting gifts this year because the invitation listed only the musical acts.\u00a0 So I thought it was strictly a listening and dance party, without even any food.\u00a0 I really should have suspected that there would be more to it because there always is with FabFitFun!<\/p>\n The treasure chests of candy. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Outside the room with the gift bags was a table of \u201cpirate\u2019s booty chests,\u201d filled with all kinds of packaged non-chocolate kid-type of candy.\u00a0 People were scooping it up by the handfuls.<\/p>\n Also up there were girls walking around carrying thin canvas bags which each contained a shirt with a choice of words on it, like \u201cBrunette\u201d or \u201cRose Okay.\u201d\u00a0 It turned-out that they were handing them out to the guests, so we didn\u2019t have to wait in the at-that-point long line; it was so thoughtful of them to do it like that.<\/p>\n Actually, every single aspect of the event was well-thought out.\u00a0 And they do it year after year.\u00a0 I never know what to expect; each time is so different from the rest.\u00a0 FabFitFun constantly surprises us, which I sooo appreciate.\u00a0 I used to think that\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0was the best party planner in town, but\u00a0these<\/em>\u00a0people have me beat by a mile!<\/p>\n The crowd. Photo courtesy of FFF.<\/p><\/div>\n One thing I always love about their galas is seeing all the different fashions. It seemed like every young hipster in town was there, (and some old ones, too,) and it\u2019s fun to see what everyone\u2019s version of Saturday-night-at-the-club festive holiday attire is.\u00a0 I saw everything, absolutely\u00a0everything<\/em>.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy to report that most people really dressed-up for the occasion, though.\u00a0 The smartest chicks, (like\u00a0moi<\/em>!,) were in flats.\u00a0 Boy, did they come in handy for all the stair-climbing and dancing.<\/p>\n I must also commend the decorating committee because, even though this was in a club, all the d\u00e9cor was color-coordinated. The flashing signs were in pink and blue, and there were colorful flashing wands all over, with similar big plastic light-up balls augmenting the grass-carpeted patio floor.\u00a0 And they were smart to serve all the alcoholic beverages in colorful plastic souvenir cups, (as opposed to washable glass,) which they even emblazoned with their logo.\u00a0 The whole dark nightclub was awash in color, which, trust me, I can tell you is a rarity in this town\u2019s nightlife.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>