About Town

THE EVOLUTION OF HOLIDAY EVENTS

We made it! It’s officially the 2021 holiday season, which feels sort of like an extension of 2020, with a few more events on the calendar. Despite the positive steps toward normalcy, our county is still under the shadow of “the pandemic.” Like an unwelcome mole, we’ve learned to live with the virus in our lives — mask rules, keeping our vax cards at the ready, and knowing when to delicately avoid the conversation with certain friends — which brings me to a very real situation. How do we approach big holiday parties this year? Are you excited, or are you looking for “the easy out?”

In the last two

years, so many plans, parties and events were canceled, and honestly, I sort of liked it. I did a quick Google search for “the word for the joy when plans are canceled” — the opposite of FOMO — and I didn’t see anything. So, how about JOCE, Joy of Canceled Event? The most important part of this phrase is the passive form of “canceled,” which indicates these decisions were made for you, and you have a free night to catch up on Ted Lasso with take out.

Pre-2020, for many of us, this time of year meant we were busy planning parties and fundraisers. The main concerns were “who can we get to pour wine” or “what auction item will bring in the most money.” These events require the involvement of the entire community, from small businesses, which avail their goods and services for the auction table, to the attendees who pay the ticket price. The result is funds raised for schools and charities. I was recently a guest at an inperson fundraiser in San Francisco for Project Glimmer, a national organization started by my friend Sonja Hoel Perkins, whose goal is to break the cycle of poverty starting with girls in foster care, youth services and low-income communities. This year’s event honored Allyson Fox, the most decorated U.S track athlete and founder of Saysh, as well as Shellye Archambeau, one of tech’s first Black CEOs. The event planners pivoted into a hybrid Zoom and in-person event on a rooftop space. While it wasn’t easy to get to the city, find parking and sit still for the duration of the event, I knew the effort was worth it as I watched Liam Mayclem, more commonly known as “Foodie Chap,” work the room, charming guests with his Scottish lilt. Mayclem, who has become one of the most successful auctioneers in the area, had no problem motivating the guests to open their wallets: “Drink and bid, drink and bid, ladies.” And they did. The online and in-person crowd generously gave to Project Glimmer, enabling the organization to continue its good work, and I left the event inspired to be a better person.

If you’re not feeling up to the effort of getting all gussied up annually to support a cause, the good news is, you can still stay in your sweats (bottoms, at least) via Zoom events and support your favorite causes. Kudos to the women and men (let’s be real, it’s mostly women!) who dedicate their time for a cause they believe in. Thanks to lessons learned from the last two years, many of these fundraisers have evolved to online options, allowing for yet another acronym, JOEFH, the “Joy of an Event From Home." If you do make it out this season, please tag us @marinmagazine and share the fun.

Sonja Hoel Perkins and Shellye Archambeau

CONNECT!

editorial@marinmagazine.com Project Glimmer's Lift Every Girl annual benefit

Liam Mayclem

Mimi Towle Editor at Large

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