From Sweet to you: a very sincere thanks to everyone who has written or called wondering what ever to get her Sweetness for the impending holiday. A Fendi knock-off handbag, the one with the snaky clasp and the thickly braided strap? A Moleskine day planner for 2007, the one with the cute little elastic that runs lengthwise down the front? Or perhaps a Madonna track suit from H&M?
Dear ones, Sweetie-pie loves every one of you and your spirit of generosity (to say nothing of your excellent taste), but here she must demur: La Cake wants nothing. Strike that—she wants no thing.
Does Sugar hear the newspaper dropping from the reader’s hands? To be fair, she usually leads the parade on Materialism Day, so it may come as a shock to get this news, but darlings, darlings, darlings, it must be said: Sweet has enough stuff! Please give her not so much as one more lip-liner brush, nor a striped cardigan, neither another pot of Nars eye shadow and certainly no more cake platters! (That’s a family joke.)
Sweet anticipates your protests. You want to give. Very good. Your Candy Perfume Girl has a few suggestions for you. While they may not improve anyone’s silhouette, these gift ideas will upgrade your moral and social profile, your dearest narratrix assures you.
Charity, lovelies. Philanthropy. That’s what Sweet is talking about. If you want La Cake to know how much you luff her, show her by donating to a worthy cause, something that, like Sweet, strives to make the world a lovelier, gentler place. (Send her a delicate, perfumed note telling her of your efforts. That’s all the gift she really needs.)
Let’s say you’re artistic—and this is not hard to say as all of Ms. Cake’s friends have what you might call cultural leanings. Please consider giving some cash in your dear friend’s name to the City Center for Contemporary Arts, now in its final fundraising phase. What could be more stylish than being contemporary? Jeez, that’s so convincing that Sweet might just have to write a check herself—and she’ll do it in the names of her devoted readers.
O.K., suppose you want something more do-goodery. The Free Clinic could always use your support. From what Sweet can gather some people go to the doctor for reasons other than elective cosmetic procedures—they need prenatal vitamins or to have their boils lanced or something—and the Free Clinic will take care of them, case closed. Nothing is more attractive than a healthy form, for the love of Miuccia Prada, and accordingly Cookie-baby gives her full endorsement to this cause.
Other ideas? Meals on Wheels, which for decades has been feeding the elderly and housebound just because it’s the right thing to do. How about the Music Resource Center, which keeps kids off the streets and in the recording studios where they belong? There’s always the SPCA, where Fifi gets a fighting chance to go home with a new fashion-conscious family.
See, don’t you feel better already? Well, you certainly look better. Your skin is positively glowing from that magic elixir called Doing the Right Thing.
And Sweet, she feels great, not in the least bit deprived by not getting a big haul of packages. What’s her secret, you wonder? How does Sweet manage to regard the holiday season so unselfishly? That’s easy, pets. She just looks forward to her birthday!
If you want La Cake to know how much you luff her, show her by donating to a worthy cause, something that, like Sweet, strives to make the world a lovelier, gentler place.
Get more information at the following websites:
City Center for Contemporary Arts: www.c3arts.org
Charlottesville Meals Without Wheels: avenue.org/mow/
Music Resource Center: www.musicresourcecenter.org
Charlottesville SPCA: www.caspca.org
Charlottesville Free Clinic: www.cvillefreeclinic.org