By Caitlin Donohue
Santas and Lombard St.: neither on the straightest of lines
It’s upon us. The holiday season is here in full force, bringing with it all attendant wardrobe concerns (I need tights for that dress!), consumerism driven frenzies (where the hell can I find natural fiber men’s scarves!?) and physical discomfort (I’ve drunk… too much… eggnog). Sometimes you just want to say ho, ho, ho- burn the state!
Enter Santacon. Hundreds of Santas, rolling around the city, drinking bars out of their booze supply, gifting gawking bystanders with condoms and avoiding fisticuffs as they are able. This is the pub crawl most likely to make children doubt their worldview. What originally started as a small parade of anarchy minded Chris Cringles has turned into a worldwide phenom- there’s Santacons everywhere from Oslo to Madrid these days.
Anyone with a Santa suit and a yen for mischief making is invited to join in the fun. Download the naughty carols from the website and subscribe to their live Twitter feed @sfsanta before you come- this year’s event has gotten a little tight around the (big black with a golden buckle) beltline. There will be three distinct Santa contingents to make things more manageable, one starting out in the Castro, one at Fisherman’s Wharf and one on Haight. Hit up their website for meeting places. Or just follow the man in the red suit.