The Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000

Last night The 806 hosted the second annual GQ Christmas Party. The tradition began last year when Ryan Nguyen & Ryan Wheatley organized a small gathering of well-dressed, close friends. I was unable to attend I was on an assignment in Washington DC. For the 2009 edition, the Explosion 5000 came out in full force. We built a photo booth in the garage and loaded up on props from Archie McPhee’s. Add a few cocktails into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a real photo explosion.

Ben and Mira were among the first to venture into the booth. According to Ben, it’s nothing new for girls to chase him down with mistletoe and try to pull some antics. If he looks like he’s used to this, it’s because he is.

Although Matt is in excellent shape and has decades to go before having a white beard, it did not stop Christie from hopping on his lap with a few Christmas wishes. From the look on Matt’s face, I’m not so sure if Christie has been good this year—you’ll just have to ask him.

I was delighted to see Brian and Sheena bring the party to The 806. I’ve often said that the success of my parties can be measured on 1) If Brian Stewart shows up and 2) how long Brian stays. We must have thrown one hell of a party because Brian held it down with us until well after midnight.

The real credit for the success of GQ Christmas goes to this man. Ryan Wheatley was the creative force behind the evening, rallied the troops, sent the invites and cooked up 6 pounds of New York Strip roast. Although the meat was medium rare, the party was well done (sorry… couldn’t resist).

B Cox and B Rowe made a memorable appearance, the latter coming as Pimp Santa. Only a Kalamazoo native could pull that off with such style.

What would a party at The 806 be without Sharat and Caitlin? Not only were we graced with their presence, Sharat brought along his super fun roomates, Justin and Alex; and Caitlin upped the “hot mess” factor on the dance floor factor by inviting Kim, Brian, Paige and Emily.

Ryan Nguyen, the third resident of The 806, was in prime form last night too. Jini and Ryan put on quite a memorable performance—it even went “Classic Nguyen” at one point.

Zack dropped by the photo booth to spark things up with Christie.

And of course yours truly get in front of the lens for a few shots. Nice job taking handling the camera on this shot, Caitlin!

Thank you to everyone who came out and made GQ Christmas at The 806 a success! It was some of the most fun I’ve had all year. For more ridiculousness, goofy hats, over the top poses and fun, visit my Flickr page, or watch the slideshow below.