Lynn's Holiday Nosh

I finally got the latkes, kreplach and kugel he'd been craving and came home with a plate of desserts made by a nice Jewish mom in the Valley!

I continued my tradition of heading to my friend Lynn's place for her annual Holiday Nosh. Lynn's granddaughter Emerson is now two-years-old and has quite a personality. I told Melissa and Sean that they will be "those parents" waiting on the porch with a shot-gun in 14 years.

Melissa and I were reminiscing that the very first time I went we were all so young and drinking Goldschlager, and Melissa cleaned red wine out of a white carpet using white wine. Now it's about drinking coffee, cleaning poopy diapers and going home early!

Christmas Eve Parties: Thais, Michael & Toby

On Christmas Eve I was making the rounds from Silverlake to West Hollywood. At Thais' party, I met a whole new group of cool East Siders including Mehdi, Lisa and Bijal. (I'm taking a cue from her and bringing Jell-o Shots to the next party.) Over on the West Side, Michael and Toby had a festive get-together with steaming holiday cider and great company!

You can see the full album on Flickr or Facebook.

Olivier's "Naughty or Nice" Christmas Party

My friend Olivier threw a "Naughty or Nice" Christmas party. I think I was the only one that came dressed as "nice." Here's Rachel Carlson in one of her own naughty "Rachelle Appelle" designs and rocking out her washboard abs with hosts Oliver and Michael. Jeremy Lucido and his boyfriend Nick Leoni sample homemade desserts. The hosts inspect Leo's package!

You can see the full album on Flickr or Facebook.

The Lucky Legendary Holiday Party!

I spent a festive evening with the folks from Lucky Legendary as they played "Truth or Dare" Jenga, slow-danced with vacuum cleaners, stripped of articles of clothing and had a rowdy good time. Not only do these guys make funny videos, they are super funny in real life.

Pictured here: Michelle, Captain Lucky, Olivier, Thomas, Chandler, Ken, Spanky and Jenny!

Albums on Facebook and Flickr.

Annual "Toy Box" Benefit Block Party

This year's annual Toy Box benefit was held as a block party on Larabee between East|West and Club Eleven which made it more festive than ever. It was the combination of the fake snow, the huge pile of toys, the snowman and Hunky Santa. I made the rounds with my pal Matheu Brooks from Frontiers and IN Magazine.

Aside from amassing a huge pile of toys for the kids, Toy Box is one of the best ways to catch up with folks during this busy time of year, and I finally ran into friends like Kevin Casares, Woody Woodbeck and Wayne Fastow.

Albums on Facebook and Flickr.

Brian Putnam's Holiday Housewarming

West Hollywood photographer extraordinaire, Brian Putnam, had the WeHo nightlife folks over during daylight hours to show off his new home and studio. Amidst the constant rotation of guests, I sipped on mimosas and broke bread with Mr. "Out in Hollywood," Greg Hernandez, from The Daily News. Andrew Stum brought his crew, which is quite cleverly known as "Andrew's Crew!" And I ran into old pals KABC News producer Janice Hensen and photojournalist Sean Patrick Lewis.

Albums on Facebook and Flickr.

Jeremy Lucido's Birthday Bash at The Spotlight

Joanne and I attended Jeremy Lucido's birthday bash at The Spotlight. Here we are with my old pal $EX Artiste, and that's me with Jeremy's boyfriend Nick. I last saw them both on Thanksgiving. This was my first time at The Spotlight, known as the best dive bar in the Cahuenga Corridor! Catch Jeremy's video-blog of his birthday weekend here.

Albums on Facebook and Flickr.

Frank & Jonny's Campfire Christmas Party

At designers Frank Helmer and Jonny Cota's "Campfire Christmas Party," the East Side crowd gathered to toast marshmallows and sip on cider. I met Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ) who was in town casting a his next film with my old pal (from high school) Darren Stein, pictured here with Darrin Noble.

Albums on Facebook and Flickr.

The Schumann 2008 Holiday Party is a Huge Success!

My friends Francesca and David threw an amazing holiday party over the weekend. Francesca plays "hostess with with the mostest" with Michael by the tree. Andrea and Josh cozy up on the hammock. Saracai and Heather get in the holiday spirit. And I wait for Santa to bring me something extra special!

Francesca surprised and thrilled us all with a video montage David made of us from the past year. You will find and extra special "dance break" halfway through the video. David's adoring fans threw themselves at him!

I took these two photographs of Jerah near the end of the night. I love the sweetness of her quiet moment on the phone and this "Santa Baby" shot makes you wonder: Naughty or Nice?

You can see my photos from this wonderful night on Facebook or Flickr.

Santa didn't bring me exactly what I wanted, but I could count on Jessica for a kiss under the mistletoe. I hope you all have a wonderful season full of friendship, happiness and love! ;o)

Thanksgiving Day 2008: In the Park and About Town

Each year at Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park the community comes together to feed people. This year, my dad and I were joined by friends including, Monte Cox, Jeremy Lucido and his boyfriend Nick.

You can see all my Thanksgiving Day pictures on Flickr or Facebook.

One of my favorite parts of the event is Arthur Nakane's One Man Band. Here he and a guest perform a rocking rendition of "Joy to the World." (He also performed "Stand by Me.")

Later that night I catch up with Sterling after a long while at Jerah's party. And cause trouble with Abbie and Brendan at Francesca's place.