World on a String

HAUTE HOLIDAY PARTIES, SEASONAL PAGEANTRY, AND CHARITY GALAS GIVE SOCIETY IN EVERY TIME ZONE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK ITS BEST AND ACT ITS WORST—KRISTINA STEWART ROUNDS UP THIS MONTH'S INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL CALENDAR

December 1, London

The annual British Red Cross London Ball will use an exotic Indian theme to entice regular supporters Prince Pierre d'Arenberg, Nat Rothschild, and the Tamaras (Beckwith and Mellon).

December 2-5, Miami

Art Basel Miami Beach is the American incarnation of its renowned namesake in Switzerland, an international arts fair that has, for the last 34 years, invited the collision of music, design, architecture, and film.

December 4-11, Phuket Island, Thailand

The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's most social sporting event, drawing more than 100 boats from countries including Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

December 4, Philadelphia

The Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field follows a 114-year-old gridiron tradition, pitting Army's Black Knights against Navy's Midshipmen in what has proved to be the only annual sanctioned civil war among America's troops.

December 5, Washington, D.C.

At the annual Kennedy Center Honors, Warren Beatty and Elton John are among those receiving awards for their lifetime contributions to American culture.

December 6, Versaillers

Nuit de I'Enfance is the annual gala hosted by the wife of former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing at Versailles, the erstwhile seat of French power/scandal/glamour. The reception and dinner in the Hall of Mirrors are followed by disco-ing until one A.M. with such dancing queens as Sweden's Queen Silvia and Jordan's Queen Rania and former Queen Noor.

December 8, Paris

Aging gigolo Massimo Gargia counts Greta Garbo, Francoise Sagan, and Baroness Cecile de Rothschild among his former patrons, and for the last two decades he's done a good job of wrangling the rest of Europe's potential payto-play paramours with his annual the "Best Awards" party, a dubious gala celebrating "elegance" with Alexis Carrington—worthy cleavage and jewels.

THE COVETED NEW YEAR'S EVE INVITATION

FOR THESE JET-SET HOSTS, AN EXOTIC CHOICE OF TIME ZONES IS MATCHED ONLY BY AN ABILITY TO LURE SPARKLY GUESTS TO FAR-FLUNG LOCALES!

ALIX GOLDSMITH IN CUIXMALA, CAKEYES, MEXICO DENISE RICH IN ASPEN P. DlDDY ON ST. BARTS WILL SMITH IN I.OS ANOEI.ES LAWRENCE STROLL ON MUSTIQUE THE FORBES CLAN IN PALM BEACH XAVIER GUERRAND-HERMES IN MARRAKECH PEPE AND ALFY FANJUL AT CASADECAMPO, IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JULIO MARIO SANTO DOMINGO IN BARE. COLOMBIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IN SIJN VALLEY AND IN G ST A AD, TWO PARTIES: FASHION KING "VALENTINO AND DEPOSED ITALIAN KING VICTOR EMMANUEL DE SAVOIE

December 9, New Year City

Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer hosts the Winter Gala at the Neue Galerie, the German-and-Austrian-art museum created by her father, Ronald Lauder, at the former Vanderbilt mansion on Fifth Avenue. Expect society couturati, including Renee Rockefeller, Lauren du Pont, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn—all of whom promise to join in the Viennese waltzes that will play out before the late-night disco dancing.

December 10, Stockholm, Oslo, and New York City

• The Nobel Prizes will be awarded on the 10th in Stockholm by Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia. In Oslo the following night, the Nobel Foundation will be aided by Tom Cruise and a Valentino-clad Oprah Winfrey in honoring Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.

• In New York, the Botanical Garden's Winter Wonderland Ball revs up with co-chairs including Cristina Cuomo and Whitney Fairchild alongside sponsors Rolex and Alberta Feretti.

December 13, London

The culmination of the British winter party season is the Snow Ball Gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, benefiting Macmillan Cancer Relief and the child-protection organization N.S.P.C.C.

December 16, New York City

The Guggenheim's annual Artists' Ball is sponsored by Dior with co-chairs including Delphine Arnault, Sally Albemarle, Adam Lindemann, and Eva Lorenzotti.

December 24, Rome

Join with the Pope in celebrating Christmas Eve midnight Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

December 31, Vienna, Rio, Moscow, and Palm Beach

• The Kaiserball at Hofburg Palace kicks off a three-month series of balls in Vienna which culminates at Lent.

• Watch fireworks and samba during Reveillon, in and around Rio's Copacabana Palace hotel.

• Moscow's Red Square is the site of a spectacular fireworks show.

• The Coconuts Party in Palm Beach is thrown by local swells such as Dixon Boardman, to thank their favorite hostesses for a year's worth of parties.