Bad Santa: Conventioneers Conquer NYC Bars, Twitter Responds

Santa Claus left the mall Saturday, and he went on a real tear. The Santa Claus convention - NYC SANTACON - invaded Manhattan, and during the day, it was downright pleasant. Folks dressed to be cheerful and jolly wandered the streets of midtown, bringing smiles and good cheer as hoards of red-suited merry-makers ascended from subways and stopped for pictures in Central Park. It was a heart-warming sight. And then it turned ugly. As the sun started to set, the Santas got thirsty. They traded the convention area for the bars down in Greenwich Village, and you couldn't step inside for a beer without encountering shoulder-to-shoulder Santas of all kinds: young Santas, buff Santas, drunk Santas, slutty Santas ... all were in attendance, and they all had something to say. The smoking areas outside bars were particularly interesting, especially as slutty Santas compared their war stories from the day and evening. Free drinks were obviously top of mind, but the intoxicated celebrants also provided insights into the travails of yuletide image maintenance: OH: "ur totes beating me in sexytown" about slutty santa chick in bathroom #santacon So, how does one seduce a Santa? The easiest way appears to have your cigarettes at the ready, a sure thing in a city where they're now a dozen dollars a pack. As things got crowded, Twitter was engaged to help the Santas mobilize, as tips were disseminated as to where there was room, including the gentlemen's club Rick's Cabaret and midtown's Touch: There's room for more Santas at Touch, come Touch Santas balls at 52nd just east of 8th. While the Santas seemed to be having a blast, except when they were out of cigs or lamenting the long wait to get a beer glass refilled, it was tough to be a local. I hit Fiddlesticks, my favorite bar in the city, and found it packed with Claus replicas. This prompted my friend and New York travel blogger Laurie DePrete to remark, "It was cute when they were in Central Park, but this is ridiculous." But, nothing says it better than this: #itsallfunandgamesuntil you get puke in your beard #santacon Thankfully, those who weren't able to enjoy the SANTACON festivities this year can relive them on Twitter, where drunken Claus knock-offs detailed their debauchery for the rest of the world to enjoy! By Sunday morning, the red costumes had faded - along with the lesser performers, who were dressed as Rudolph, Frosty and various flavors of elf. New York City returned to normal (well, by our own standards, at least). Santa was again relegated to mall food courts, which is where we expect to see him, right? We now have our bars back, and don't have to belly up past someone who takes that expression far too seriously. So, were you in New York this weekend? If you ran into Santa - naughty or nice - drop a comment below to let us know how it went. And, if you snapped a few shots of Mr. Claus in the gutter, leave a link so we can all get a chuckle! [photo via yfrog]

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Bad Santa: Conventioneers Conquer NYC Bars, Twitter Responds

Drunken and debauched Santa Clones invaded Manhattan this weekend. Click here to see what happens when merriment turns ugly.

Tom Johansmeyer

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Tom Johansmeyer