"Once again the Yelp faithful gather 'round the bar to spread holiday cheer with good eats, meets and enough ugly sweaters to call for a Fashion Police Intervention." Will H, I couldn't have said it better myself. More than 75 Elites and guests came out Wednesday night for the Ugly Sweater Holiday Hoopla Party hosted by Tupelo Honey Cafe.

Drinks were flowing and an endless parade of food danced through the room all night. "Rarely does a venue fill up the bellies of the elites, but Tupelo Honey did and then some," notes Chad E.

Favorite dishes? Well, EVERYTHING. Christi K casts her vote for "the biscuits (aka the BEST freakin biscuit in Charlotte)." For Kenny R, it was love at first bite with the scallops – "I had to rub my eyes to make sure this was real. Perfectly cooked. Seared, lightly seasoned and absolutely scrum-diddly-umpsious." Yes, indeed. "Pork eggrolls, mini chicken cordon bleus, crab cakes, asparagus, pecan pies, all of it was amazing," gushes Kevin L.

And what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with… well… spirits! Wines from Rodney Strong Vineyards, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, and Tonya P's fav – a special concoction with Reyka Vodka. "The Blueberry Christmas Punch was a great way to tell us hello!!!"

Holiday photobooth fun supplied more than enough laughs throughout the evening. Elites and guests didn't go home empty handed. Kieran M hit the candy bar to "punish the large carafe of peanut M&Ms, before loading up a goodie bag with York's and PB cups to keep the sugar buzz going upon returning home."

I challenged you all to dig up your best (and by best, I of course mean worst) holiday attire. Kelly C sums it up best,"The invite says ugly, and you BROUGHT UGLY!" Congrats to our winners Christi K and Kenny R. And also the real winners: the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau. A mountain of toys donated by the Charlotte Elite Squad.

A huge thank you to our sponsors Reyka Vodka, Sierra Nevada and Rodney Strong… and to the incredible team at Tupelo Honey Cafe for an absolutely fantastic night. You can find all the pictures on our Flickr page courtesy of Poprock Photography. Tonya P, you are amazing.
Until next time… SYOY!!

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