Donna Sachet has hosted “Songs of the Season” for 15 years now, benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund, which has given over $25 million to people with AIDS. It has become a holiday tradition among the truly cool Yule school. The Rob Evans Quartet opened the show with jazzy sounds. Then Basic Black, a fabulous trio of Shirley Smallwood, Mike Hardwick, and Bill Bunn, said, “Let’s remember those who can’t be home for Christmas,” and sang Oleta Adams’ “Get Here If You Can;” Dianne Reeves’ “Christmas Time Is Here,” (“If only we could see such spirit through the year”); and (taking us all to church) “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” Donna, creator of “Songs of the Season,” regally strolled up to the stage in a floor length red velvet gown trimmed with white faux fur, gracefully dragging an eight-foot train behind her. She sang “All I Need for Christmas Is You,” (“We’ll spend the day exchanging kisses, smile and say, ‘What a Christmas this is!). Donna noted that the Plush Room will soon be closed to cabaret performances, so they’ll have to look for a new venue next “Songs of the Season.” She sang the lovely “Just in Time for Christmas” (“you showed me what Christmas is all about”).

Kathleen Antonia (fresh from her brilliant new CD release, Next Time, a baker’s dozen of delicious standards to be sure), sang her not so traditional holiday song, “He’s Just My Bill” from Showboat, kidding, “My mother used to tell me to not be lonely during the holidays - lower my standards). And changing the mood, she sang “Santa Baby” with two of her friends, Soul Sista Shakti, and Troy Ziel, where the man gaily sang, “Think of all the fellas that I haven’t kissed.” Wowzers!

The two who have appeared the most times at Donna’s “Songs” are T.J. and Sheba of the Imperial Court, with their majestic voices. They sang mostly a cappella “From a Distance” also known as “God Is Watching Us” (heavy lyrics: “you look like my friend, even though we are at war. I don’t know what all this fighting is for”). They sang and dedicated “Little Drummer Boy” to the late, great Jo-Carol, a beautiful songstress taken too soon from us, suffering a sudden brain aneurism. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the duo sang a real tearjerker about a poor little waif who wanted to “Buy These Shoes” for his dying mother, so she would look pretty when she went to see Jesus that night. Connie Champagne (wearing the specially designed red dress made for her by Chris March – of TV’s “Project Runway” – for the spoof, Christmas with the Crawfords), sang her revised Christmas medley, “Let It Snow” to the tune of The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” We even got to sing along with the chorus. Connie showed her expertise at putting down a very drunk heckler, sniping, “Oh yes, Marga Gomez warned me about the drunk guy in the front row!” She finished with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and making “the yuletide GAY.” Donna closed the first act with a new outfit, new wig, and new old favorite, “Rudolph the Bashful Schoolboy.” That’s right, this was a takeoff on the reindeer song, but about a boy shunned from playing games because he was gay. But eventually everyone shouted out with glee. Donna wanted to do a Hanukkah song, “but they were all in the minor key.” So she found a happier tune, “I Like a Lotta Latkes.” She then sang “Christmas Clichés” and a very depressing, “Merry Christmas to Me” about another season spent alone and sad. We were about ready to open a vein, when she thankfully followed with “Hard Candy Christmas” from Best Little Whorehouse (“I won’t let sorrow get me down”). She then dueted with Queen Cougar in “The Christmas Song,” better known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” Cougar then soloed with Karen Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas, Darling.” With her big bold voice and superb comic timing, Irene Soderberg burst into “Here Comes Santa Claus” with her special naughty lyrics, “bells are ringing, men are singing, everyone’s happy and gay; so jump in bed and give some head.” She then put on a curly girly Baby Jane Hudson wig and did a dead-on impression of Bette Davis singing (shouting, actually) “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” to her sister Blanche, whose wheelchair was apparently SKIDDING through the snow. Regarding Miss Crawford’s demise, she sang, “Don’t be afraid; Joan has been laid, far beneath the Winter Wonderland.” Irene joked, “I lost 90 pounds. Boy, was I glad to get that Paris Hilton off my back!” She spoke of her love affair with another woman, finishing with “I’ll Be Homo for Christmas.”

International recording artist Vicki Shepard wore a red feather wig-hat with twinkling lights and sexy hot-pants to sing a hot jazzy bluesy set about wanting Santa to “Bring Me A Man for Christmas.” I can relate. Donna, dazzling like a snow princess in white sparkly gown, sang the same song that has closed every “Songs of the Season” show for 15 years: “White Christmas,” bringing the entire cast back for their well deserved applause, singing along with Donna and the whole house.