River Wilde's annual Christmas party. Loud music. People everywhere. In the stairwell. Doing drugs. Someone was peeing off the balcony onto the head of the unsuspecting superintendent below. The Bone was ignoring Stanford Blatch, who showed up with twin male models who had just come into town. Skipper was making out with a woman in the corner. The Christmas tree fell over.
Skipper broke free and came up to Carrie. She asked him why he was always trying to kiss women. "I feel like it's my duty," he said, then asked Mr. Big, "Aren't you impressed with how fast I moved?"
Skipper moved on to River. "How come you never include me anymore? I feel like all my friends are dissing me. It's because of Mark, isn't it? He doesn't like me."
"If you keep this up, no one is going to like you," River said. Someone was puking in the bathroom.
At one a.m., the floor was awash in alcohol, and a cadre of druggies had taken over the bathroom. The tree had fallen over three times and no one could find their coat.
Stanford said to River, "I've finally given up on the Bone. I've never been wrong before, but maybe he really is straight." River stared at him, dazed.
"Come, River," Stanford said, suddenly happy. "Look at your Christmas tree. Look at how beautiful it is.