Don King talked shoes.

Kim from the Real Housewives of Atlanta got real.

We drank the cocktails of Mad Men.

Caroline Torem Craig told us About Last Night….

Peter Davis protested.

Style was cornered.

Celebrities guest-blogged.

Kate and Pippa Middleton shut down our site.

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How long did you believe in Santa Claus?

Kate Somers: I’d like to think that Santa –- or at least the idea of a little Christmas magic –- can continue to be incorporated into the holiday season. I was a strong believer well through elementary school, and a little part of me can’t help but be convinced that I still hear sleigh bells on Christmas Eve!

Amanda Laine: I believed in Santa Claus until I was 13 years old!

Simona McIntyre: Even after my belief in the other characters of childhood fantasy faded, I still held onto Santa. But after 12 years of seasonally questioning my mom as to why Santa did not instead give the presents to poor children, I guess I understood...

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One of my friends swore off the hard stuff this year so I had to come up with something new to give her to drink over the holidays. Voila, Mighty Leaf Tea! In a hand-crafted red giftbox are 30 biodegradable whole leaf, silky tea pouches in flavors like Marrakesh Mint, Rainforest Mate and Ginger Twist. For anyone you know who's passionate about tea, check out their website, www.mightlyleaf.com. Right now they're offering 20 percent off on last-minute gifts.

1. A recent study of digital music conducted by British economists found that more than 10 million of the 13 million songs available online failed to find a single buyer last year. (via London Times)

2. It's alive! A spokesperson for Michael Jackson says rumors of the singer's ill-health are "a total fabrication."

3. Seventies-era Brit punks The Damned are playing a free concert at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square on December 30 at noon.

4. I thought Obama would _______. Go here and keep clicking to fill in the blank.

5. Actual twitter from Denver jet crash on Saturday: "Holy f***ing s**t -- I was just in a plane crash."

6. Heading to Goa for New Year's Eve? The recent attacks in India prompted local officials to ban all beach parties, "effectively shutting down its party scene." (via USA Today)

Here's a bit of sartorial history: The flight jacket was originally designed exclusively for fighter pilots during WWI. At the time, most airplanes had exposed cockpits and so pilots needed garments which could keep them warm, hence utilitarian coats like fur-lined shearlings, bombers and the flight jacket, the earliest of which were designed under the auspices of the US Army's Aviation Clothing Board around 1917. Their chic-factor did not escape civilians and flight jackets soon became wildly popular off the army base. They continue to be a style staple today and the best version I've seen so far is designed by Alpinestars, the Italian brand, which has a history in designing for action sports like motorcross, Formula One racing and BMX. They call this beauty, pictured above, the F-1 Pilot Jacket, and it's exclusively for women. The jacket comes fully lined with satin taffeta, snap closures on chest and side pockets, and is equipped with an extra chest pocket for good measure. In addition to fuchsia, it comes in midnight blue and burnt orange. Available at www.alpinestarswomen.com for $220.

Here's a clip from a film I re-watch every holiday season, Christmas Evil(1980), a perverse tale of a Santa-obsessed man (Brandon Maggart) who works in a toy factory and makes lists of the good boys and girls in the neighborhood. The sensational movie by Lewis Jackson is deranged and beautiful. Here's a scene in which Maggart's character is running amok on Christmas Eve and is dragged into a holiday party where he freaks out the children and parents with his intensity. Ho ho ho!

Sometimes Mr. Mickey doesn't understand why he's not more famous and established. Then he puts up a blog like this and suddenly all makes sense.

rag & bone continues its stylish conquest of Christopher Street with a new men’s shop. PAPERMAG was impressed by their flagship that opened back in September, so we thought we’d peep the new outpost for gents only located a few doors down. The rustic vintage vibe is intact with exposed brick walls and metal pipes, rough wooden shelves and table displays, and antiques scattered about.

Just as the store itself channels a pared down but polished look, the tailored men’s clothing evokes classic cool mixed with a bit of Civil-War-era style. From the black and olive Dodger Boot (pictured above) to the double breasted coats and blazers, rag & bone excels at crafting menswear that is hip and timeless at the same time. (See: men dining at Marlow & Sons, Freemans -- you know the look). The store carries piles of their signature denim and their full menswear line of dress shirts, knits, vests, casual tees and an impressive range of outerwear that includes leather track jackets, cashmere car coats, tux jackets, wool and cashmere great coats, and species of blazers we didn’t know existed.

For you eleventh hour shoppers: much of rag & bone’s fall collection is now 40-60 percent off. The waffle sack jacket (which looks like a chunky cardigan) or the cotton cashmere thermal shirt would make a toasty gift. Or try a crocheted skinny tie and driving gloves for something smaller. We didn’t find a dud among the rag & bone racks, so you really can’t go wrong.

rag & bone
100 Christopher St.
(212) 727-2999
www.rag-bone.com

Photos by Rebecca Prusinowski

1. Hipster Runoff hates TV on the Radio. The alt-bro site calls them "2008's biggest sham/gimmick/pyramid scheme." Hey, you can't be on everybody's "best of" list.

2. A reef shark at The Atlantis resort in the Bahamas jumped out of its aquarium and into the hotel's swimming pool last week. (via UK Telegraph)

3. Top Billionaire Playgrounds (according to Forbes): Mustique; St. Tropez, France; Sun Valley, Idaho; St. Andrews, Scotland; and Maui, Hawaii.

4. Last minute gift idea: The Amazing S**t Box portable toilet. Only $24.00.

5. According to the AP, AIG, which received $150 billion in taxpayer bailout money, still has a fleet of seven private jets. Five other firms that received money also own private aircraft.

6. Bling Police. The St. Louis Police Department paid $1,987 each for five gold-filled police badges last week and $5,900 apiece for two solid gold badges. (via NYT)

With a super witty fashion blog and a Marc Jacobs ostrich bag to his name, Bryanboy is a true force in the fashion blogosphere. Style.com recently proclaimed his blog "a cult read in fashion circles." We sat down the other day with "Planet Earth's [self-proclaimed] Favourite Third World Fag" to chat about the trouble with Parisian holidays, his mother's midnight Christmas soup and Macaulay Culkin, circa 1990.

How long did you believe in Santa Claus?
I may be in my early 20s but I most definitely still believe in Santa. With the crazy cuckoo credit crunch and the global financial crisis going on, I don't expect to receive any Lanvin goodies this year. Being the naughty boy that I am, I made a deal with him: We're gonna call it a day if he allows me to sit on his lap for a quick photo op at the mall!

Does your family have any quirky holiday traditions?
The quirkiest, long-standing tradition has got to be my mom's Christmas chicken noodle soup that she always serves right on the dot when the clock strikes 12 midnight on Christmas Eve. It's funny because we're allowed to touch anything on the buffet table before midnight except for the so-called soup. The poor woman is so protective of it that the only people allowed in the kitchen with her are the household help!

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One of my picks for top ten films of 2008 is Savage Grace, out on DVD this week. Talk about a great twisted stocking stuffer! Tom Kalin’s (Swoon) taste for transgresive tales continues with this perverse true crime saga of Barbara Baekland (Julianne Moore), the wealthy, beautiful and troubled wife of Brooks Baekland (Stephen Dillane), the heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune. When Brooks left his wife for another woman, mother and son traveled around Europe and entered into an incestuous relationship which ended in murder. Julianne Moore gives a brave, fierce performance to the defiantly disturbed Barbara -- the scenes in which she flares up at a dinner party and at the airport are frighteningly revealing and exquisitely acted. A sequence where she wakes up in bed with her gay walker (Hugh Dancy) and son and start merrily laughing is funny and deranged at the same time. Stephen Dillane gives a cold aristocratic fervor to Brooks and Eddie Redmayne is quite wonderful as the poor doomed Tony. He has the right prissy, privileged attitude with that slight hint of decadence that makes the movie so sublimely twisted it should be retitled Mommie Fearest.