It’s immediately holiday time at Doubles the private club in the Sherry Netherland as one heads down the red-on-red staircase bedecked with ribbons and swags, harkening Christmases past yet fresh as the poinsettia. As you turn the corner on the stair and spot the giant globe of jellybeans at the captain’s desk, the words “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me . . .” start singing from somewhere in the corners of your mind.

The Seven Days of Christmas Luncheons at Doubles has been a New York tradition for more than a quarter cetnury. It is now right up there with skating at Rockefeller Center under the tree, or taking in the windows of Tiffany’s, Saks, Bergdorf, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef, Cartier – to name only a few -- along Fifth Avenue.

Wendy Carduner, Double’s bright guiding light points out that Manhattan has always been the world travel destination for this Season. She outdid herself this year in making her club the heart of Holiday Manhattan.

Among the two hundred high spirited guests each day were: Joanie Schnitzer Levy (She hosted the center table on several of the days much to the delight of her many friends.), Polly Bergen, Beverly Sills, Joan Rivers, Deborah Norville, Grace Meigher, Pamela Gross, Kathy Hilton, Carolyne Roehm, Joanne de Guardiola, Jamee Gregory, Jessie Araskog, Audrey Gruss, Alison Stern, Mai Harrison, Duane Hampton, Karen LeFrak, Isabelle Rattazzi, Marianne Wyman, Eleanora Kennedy, Adrienne Vittadini, Barbara Tober, Mary Faith Hernandez, Daryl Rothman, Hillie Mahoney, Barbara McLaughlin, Gillian Fuller, Patty Raynes, Leila Heller, Barbara de Portago, Donna Rosen, Joan Marks, Daisy Soros, Marianna Kaufmann, Kimberly Smith, Somers Farkas, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Alicia Bradley, Monique Yazigi, Bambi de la Gueronniere, Katherine Adler, Jean Shafireff, Barbara Conroy, Ruth Fleishmann, Marsha Glazer, Pat Kerr Tigrett, Carol Vaughn, Cornelia Bregman, Sue Sullivan, Lizanne Megrue, Peggy Bitler, Lucy Suarez, Didi Schaefer, Heather Leeds, Martha Glass, Robyn Joseph, Clelia Zacharias, Lisa McCarthy, Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick, Patty Weeks, Liz Doyle Carey, Avanti Madan, Jacqueline Togut,  Joyce Sterling, Mary Staples Webber, Patricia Shiah and Lucy Suarez.

There were a few men too, including Rex Reed, Rick Hilton and William Hamm. And Geraldo Rivera’s wife Erica Rivera was at her husband’s co-star Laurie Dhue’s table.

The lunch menu was different every day served up by the most cheerful staff in town.  Dishes like: Artichoke Flower with Crabmeat and Veal Française with Asparagus Risotto, Mushroom Crusted Lamb Chops with Basil Mashed Potatoes, Crabmeat and Avocado Timbale, Lamb Chops au Poivre with Celery Root, Ragout of Lobster and Crabmeat in a Puff Pastry Shell were served in the already red décor now festooning with garlands of evergreen boughs and wreathes twinkling with lights, decorations and red bows, as well as toys, teddy bears, stuffed penguins and the annual appearance of that big white carousel horse.

The piece de la resistance is always The Dessert Table: Eggnog Baked Alaska, Gateau St. Honore, Bouche du Noel, Chestnut and Graham Cracker Crumb Cheese Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Christmas Cookies and Ginger Snaps, Strawberries, Cherries. Watching your waistline are you? Fa-la-la-la and all that folderol, at least for the now when you’re at the Doubles buffet; take my word for it.

Mary Sharp Cronson, Caroline Cronson, Denise Saul, and Jennifer Saul Yaffa chaired the much-anticipated third annual The Nutcracker Sweet, A Family Holiday Benefit, celebrating the magic of the holidays with a very special family event to benefit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The event was sponsored Payard, Ciao Bella Gelato, and Veuve Clicquot.

Anderson Terry, LLC, New York’s premiere private real estate brokerage, celebrated its 5th anniversary at The River Club last Wednesday evening.

The evening was hosted by the firm’s founder and principle broker Barbara Anderson Terry and her husband Ted, who is of counsel at the law firm Sullivan and Cromwell.

“This is the perfect time of year to thank those who have helped me establish this brokerage,” Ms. Terry told friends.  “We pride ourselves on our expertise, service and discretion but without the extraordinary loyalty of clients and friends it would be impossible to achieve the success we’ve met,” she added.

A perfect setting for the occasion in those lovely room looking out at the East River, its boat traffic, and the lights of the bridge and Queens across the way, enhancing the holiday spirit.

Alexandra and Jim Lebenthal hosted a party for Claudia Lebenthal, sister and daughter thereof, and Daniel Stark, the co-Creative Direcctors of the book “Stoked; the Evolution of Action Sports.”

The Lebenthals are known to investors and television viewers everywhere for their municipal bond business and now for family authorships. This latest venture by Claudia and Mr. Stark is a book of photographs about “extreme sports.”

The party, which was hosted at the Whiskey Park with a "stoked" crowd of well wishers including: Somers Farkas, Linda Wells  from Allure, Gerry Laybourne from Oxygen Media, Liz and Jeff Peek, Joey Bartolomeo from US magazine, Lucy Danzinger, author Buzz Bissinger, Boykin Curry, Gretchen Young from Hyperion, Missy Giove - down hill mountain bike world champion,  CNBC's Ron Insana, Joni Evins, Martha McCully from In Style,
Chip Lyons - President of US fund for Unicef, Penelope Green from NY Times, Jonathan van Meter from Vogue, lobbyist Suri Kaiser and Bruce Teitelbaum,

Claudia Lebenthal said that until now, there has been a single book published on the phenomenon of what were once called ‘extreme’ and are now known as ‘action’ sports.” STOKED traces the evolution of these sports from surfing to skateboarding to snowboarding to freestyle moto X with many more in between. Not only is it a record of athletic achievement, it is also a touchstone of a cultural revolution.

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