Santacon

I've turned the corner ... I now get almost all of my news from social media, particularly Twitter. I go there first, because I know that the people I follow are on the pulse of what's going on in news, pop culture, politics, social issues, and the economy. If I want more, then I search on from there.

On Twitter I found out that Elizabeth Edwards lost her battle with cancer. On Twitter I found out about Mark Madoff's suicide and about Bill Clinton's visit to the White House to help out Obama. And in a unique piece of pop culture, I found out about Santacon for the first time.

Santacon was on Saturday, and it's so cool. It started in 1994 in San Francisco, but this is the first time I have every heard of it. It's basically a big party, where people dress up as Santa Claus and congregate in major cities to cruise around. Bar to bar, store to store, park to park -- and like I said, bar to bar. In Manhattan, Santacon was all over the city. It was a visual feast to tell you the truth, seeing all of these Santas walking around and gathering in the parks and in front of bars. Sure, it's a party, but these folks were having a lot of fun. And it was a lot of fun to watch.

According to the website, there are really only a few rules:

- don't mess around with kids (I mean, you're dressed as Santa!)

- don't mess around with police

- don't mess around with security

Santacon has become an international phenomenon in 178 locations in 24 countries, including Paris, Beijing, and Sydney. The website helps people to congregate by posting locations -- there were 11 locations in NYC alone including Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, and The Museum of Natural History. And the costumes are not just Santa -- I saw a lot of elves, reindeer, presents, etc. All with holiday cheer!

The organization claims to have no mission, no political affiliation, no agenda ... other than to have fun. They do provide a lot of entertainment, a new slice of pop culture, and I have to believe an economic boost to the cities that participate.

Go Santa Go!

What's your experience? Jim.