Keep Secret Santa tame at NBC

WE bet there were fewer sex toys in the NBC Secret Santa this year. We’re told that amid the upheaval at the network’s “Today” show, the cast and crew celebrated the holidays on Thursday (or tried to?) at their annual party. The festivities come as the show’s most popular and long-running host, Matt Lauer, was dismissed for sexual misconduct (including allegedly giving a sex toy to a colleague as a gift), and with flashy new hire Megyn Kelly struggling with historically low ratings. Merry Christmas! The party took place at noon, as is traditional for the show since its staff arrives to work so early. Spies tell us that all the “Today” hosts, including Kelly, Savannah Guthrie, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lauer’s stand-in Hoda Kotb and Al Roker, attended the bash at the Black Barn restaurant in the Flatiron District, and that Guthrie and executive producer Don Nash made short speeches thanking the show’s staff for their hard work. A network insider told us that the party was “more low-key than in years past.”