There were no arrests on SantaCon Saturday, and the police only issued 10 summonses for things like open alcohol containers and disorderly conduct, compared to 73 summonses last year. Perhaps this is because the SantaCon organizers shared their route with the authorities before the event, and there was a greater police presence in the neighborhoods where the drunk Santas were hitting up the taverns on Saturday. The police also handed out fliers at the starting point in Tompkins Square Park reminding the Santas to keep things under control.
Once upon a time, when I still believed in Santa Claus, I thought him to be a kindly, benevolent, cherubic sort, a fat, jolly man in an ill-fitting red suit. That the guy brought me cool stuff on Christmas morning rendered the fashion crime and the potential risks to his health irrelevant. Santa was, in my book at least, an OK guy, someone with an easygoing disposition who judged me good enough over the previous 365 days to warrant presents for me under the Christmas tree.
Now that I’m older and more cynical, I know that Santa is as mythical as Compassionate Conservatism and abortion rights. I try not to burst the bubbles of small children, who should allowed to believe in Santa Claus as long as possible before the world crushes their hopes and dreams. That said, I’m not at all certain what to make of SantaCon 2013, which was notable for its drunken brawls and generalized disorderliness. When you have inebriated Santas hitting the streets of New York…well, let’s hope the kids were safely in bed asleep, knowhutimean? Because they really didn’t need to see drunken Santas brawling in the snow.
When you’re talking about a Santa fight, THAT’S what you want….
Yep, somebody’s been a VERY bad boy…and that would be Santa. I don’t know how you’re going to explain this to little Johnny, but good luck with that one, eh?
I can’t imagine that New York, a city that takes no small amount of pride in being a Christmas mecca, is all that pleased with the generalized debauchery and drunken mayhem.
All the weeping and gnashing of teeth aside, there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing a drunken Santa brawl. Hey, if someone as jolly as Santa can cold cock another fat guy in a red suit, I think I can assume my misbehavior pales in comparison, no?
Good luck explaining your exploits to Mrs. Claus….
