Santas on the street.

A few winters ago my dear friend Cheri came to visit and on a winter walk through Central Park we were over come by Santas, not a few, a few hundred Santas! The red suits bounced off the snow covered grass and trees. It was an incredible site. It was Santacon. Last year two guests came to my tree trimming party dressed in Santa Clause gear. They had come from Santacon.

What is Santacon? It’s a convention of Santas. The purpose is to have fun and spread holiday cheer. There is no cost, only the expense of the Santa suit or materials to create your own. It’s another opportunity for creative, crazy and imaginative New Yorker’s to express themselves. The energy in the air reminded me of St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Eve and Halloween all rolled into one.

The initial meeting place for the Santas is not available until midnight the night before. Then each stop after that is posted on facebook, twitter and spread by word of mouth. The phrase “Santa’s on the move!” is chanted frequently throughout the day.

Santa Tam and Santa Ken

Love these two!

Some Santas wear fishnets.

Santas rides the subway.

Elvis Santa explaining to civilian what Santacon is.

The rules are pretty relaxed, as long as you get into it, other costumes relating to the season are acceptable.

Santas have to eat.

Santas wait on subway platforms with Snow(wo)man.

Santas make friends quickly.

Santas get thirsty.

Some Santas wear masks.

Chinese food Santa handed out fortune cookies.

A popular stop on the route was Washington Square Park.

Big thanks and photo credit goes to Santa Senenko for her mad documentary skills and for being a great Santa partner in crime all day long.

Did you spot any Santas in the city this past Saturday?

(Note: I am intentionally not linking to the Santacon website because the site does not support my brand. It is very direct, sarcastic and vulgar. Personally, I find it very funny and if you can get past that, I certainly suggest you google it for specific information!)