RuPaul on His Holiday Rituals, Festive Dressing, and How to Host the Perfect Party

RuPaul, the world’s most famous drag queen and host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is in high holiday mode. This past weekend, he kicked off December with a surprise appearance at Nordstrom in New York City, where he helped shoppers peruse the retailer’s new “Best Gift Ever!” festive shop (launched by its VP of creative projects, Olivia Kim), which features a curated selection of gift ideas from stars including Mary J. Blige, Grace Coddington, Chloë Sevigny, and Ru himself. (His picks? They include items such as a dog bed, tea kettle, serum, and even a tote bearing his own face.)

Keeping that festive feeling going post-appearance, RuPaul then told Vogue about his upcoming holiday plans. Though he’s not a huge fan of hosting parties himself—“In my work life, I'm hosting all the time, so the last thing I want to do is host something”—he said he will likely plan a gathering or two for family and friends this month. So what exactly does a bash thrown by the queen of drag look like? It includes fabulously festive dressing, unexpected party favors, and perhaps even a game of dirty charades, too. (More on that later.)

Below, RuPaul sounds off on embracing the holiday spirit.

On his holiday rituals

“I like to travel for the holidays. I like to go to sunny places. I’m from San Diego, so the holidays for me isn’t really the cold and the tree at Rockefeller Center—it’s more creating a different tradition, which is real relaxation and real gratitude.”

On his hosting rules

“All parties need a focal point. You can’t just throw booze to a group of people, give them a roof to talk on, and consider that a party. You have to create a beginning, middle, and an end. When I’ve done parties, things are mapped out so it’s made very easy for the participants to enjoy themselves. They aren’t required to just stand around with a drink in their hand and defend their lives, which is I think the worst thing; it’s one of the things that keeps me away from going to parties. I don’t want to talk about my work or what I’m doing now. When I have a game night for a party, people come and the food is already laid out.”

On bringing gatherings to the next level

“What I love to do is everyone who is invited brings a gift that is, say, under 20 bucks. And once you get there, you write your name down on a piece of paper and you put it in a bowl. Then, the gifts are put to the side. We start playing some games, have some dessert and coffee—but before we bring out the cake or the pie, we pull the name out of the hat. It’s a secret surprise birthday; one of the names out of the hat gets to blow out the cake and receives all of the presents.”

On his favorite party games

“Dirty charades is one of my all-time favorites. We [usually] start with the game Taboo. Then we go into charades, and then as people start to leave, we can start playing Password or Spotlight.”

On taking charge of the playlist

“I’m actually going to a party next week, and the only condition that I would go was that I got to DJ. I love to dance. If I’m going to go to a party, I don’t want to stand around. I don’t drink. I don’t want to stand around and listen to drunk people tell me a story.”

On perfecting the guest list

“It depends on the space and what the host wants to do. For me, I like anywhere from 12 to 16, because that’s how many people you can seat at a table. Anything bigger, you need to rent a hotel or banquet space. In this day and age, you also don’t want people you don’t know coming to your house, because once you get past 16, you’re going to have people who bring other people you don’t know. And you know, I’m famous—people take pictures of everything. You have to think about those things.”

On his killer holiday style

“I love colors and textures and brilliance and shine. I don’t need a holiday to make that happen. Life is a gift. Life is a beautiful gift. I have a beautiful body and a beautiful life. I’m going to celebrate it 365 days a year.”

RuPaul on His Met Gala DJ Set:

Originally Appeared on Vogue