Maybe you’ve seen it: the campy, cheesy, maybe itchy Christmas-themed sweaters you wouldn’t normally wear to a party. The ones with the unappealing graphics in wool or polyester. You might have one tucked deep inside your closet. Remember those? Well, we asked everyone to wear it to our year-ender

Our Ugly Xmas Sweater party At Vinyl on Vinyl gallery last Dec. 8 was our take on Christmas parties, embracing the unhinged tackiness of it all while cutting off the awkward silence. We didn’t do any gift exchanges here (although we customized our own gift wrapping paper). Instead we brought in the booze and the jams. Let the good times ensue.

**San Mig Light** helping the evening emotion fall into the right place

Pure Mind Quiet Heart keeping the crowd amped

Cups of San Mig Light beer on hand(we had an unlimited supply FYI, we started solemn with a heartwarming set from Shanne Dandan, then a light lo-fi beat set from babyblue. While the drinks kept on pouring, the partygoers warmed up to the theme; a relaxing, chill afternoon with friends and acquaintances.

The Gift Wrap room (L) and the Cabin Room (R) were perfect for barkada photo ops

But we couldn’t help it: We wanted to tear the house down. Everyone did. Perennial SCOUT favorite Pure Mind Quiet Heart made the crowd mosh with a crazy set that included Binangonan Hustla and Bugoy na Koykoy. And finally, Zerzac took the house down by playing everyone’s favorite jams. What’s a Christmas party without a little crazy fun? Or rather, some crazy hijinks?

Shanne Dandan (L) and Dominick Alcantara and Cher Lui Pio (R) cozying up to the decor

Zerzac setting the mood right for a growing audience

When the guests weren’t silly-grooving in the main area or chugging near the pop-up booths, they were probably busy striking poses in our Cabin and Gift Wrap rooms. Thanks to Forever 21, guests were able to try on their ugly sweater collection for a shoot inside the ’50s-inspired Christmas cabin. Next door, we had a Gift Wrap room a la The Office. Remember that prank Jim did on Dwight? Exactly that.

It’s also apt that SCOUT’s graphic designer Renz Reyes was celebrating his birthday that day; the team handed a birthday cake during the usual speech. Happy birthday, Renz.

SCOUT EIC Lex Celera with the SCOUT Christmas shirt

The floor was filled but we still had space for some moves

Aside from taking home bars of Auro Chocolate, rolls of SCOUT gift wrap, and new wardrobe additions from the SCOUT x Proudrace merchandise booth, guests also bagged rare limited-edition t-shirts just for that night.

2018 was good to us. We’ve worked with a lot of people this year, and we’ve tried a lot of new things too. Celebrating with our family and friends was a good closer to a solid year, and we’re excited to work on new things in 2019. But for now, we’ll just take a moment to look back at this little shindig we had. Shit was tight.