Sam Smith, Mark Ronson and Cat Power Hit Holiday Parties in New York

Holiday parties are a fixture in New York City, and there were plenty to choose from this week. Highlights included David Barton and Susanne Bartsch hosting a toy drive at Gym U NYC in Chelsea, and Gabriela Hearst and Yola Mezcal holding an event at Café Carlyle.

Collecting Toys at Gym U

On Thursday night, around 9 p.m., revelers in silver sequins and knee-high boots walked into Gym U NYC, David Barton’s new gym in Chelsea, carrying toys like trucks, dinosaurs and board games, as the smell of exercise mats filled the air.

They had come for the holiday party and toy drive that Susanne Bartsch, a New York nightlife fixture, and Mr. Barton, a gym and fitness entrepreneur, have been hosting since the 1990s.

Just past the doors, Ms. Bartsch, dressed in a sparkling red jumpsuit and a wig with reindeer-like antlers made of hair, greeted guests. As in years past, she wanted to: “Give people a chance to feel the spirit,” she said. “I can’t believe it is already Christmas. I feel like I’m in a time warp.”

Mr. Barton, wearing a ripped Ramones T-shirt, said they also just wanted to collect a lot of toys, adding that the party is “always a reminder of what we’re supposed to think about this time of year.”

Throughout the gym, D.J.s blasted a pulsing beat to a crowd of several hundred guests, including the singer-songwriter Sam Smith, the actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard, a co-host of the event, and Christian Cowan, a designer known for feathered club-wear popular with celebrities like Lady Gaga, Cardi B and Lil Nas X.