NYC-area railroads ban booze as drunken Santas prepare to converge – By Teri Webster (theblaze.com) / Dec 8 2017
Two suburban railroads in New York City are banning alcohol as thousands of rowdy, drunken Santa Clauses are converging on U.S. cities across the nation this weekend for the annual “SantaCon” pub crawl. During the event, revelers dress up as Santa or other Christmas characters and go from bar to bar, boozing it up along the way.
The event spans 395 cities in 52 countries. SantaCon events start at 10 a.m. Saturday and continue through Sunday.
New York City is perhaps the largest gathering, with tens of thousands of Santas expected to descend on the city. In an attempt to rein in the drunken foolishness, an alcohol ban is in effect from noon Saturday to noon Sunday on the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad, The Associated Press reported.
Some people are looking for ways to avoid the Santas. Not everyone finds them amusing. A 2013 editorial in the New York Times called the annual festivities “a parasite,” serving as a disruption with no real benefit.
The editorial described the event: “A festive, besotted mob of 20- and 30-somethings, decked out in various measures of Santa Claus dress and undress, will descend on the bars of lower New York City and rain down Christmas cheer like spoiled eggnog.”
Organizers for the events give guidelines for Santas to follow, although only the Santas decide who will be naughty or nice.
One of the New York City SantaCon websites lists a code of conduct for revelers to follow. “Santa is about Peace,” one of the guidelines states.”No fighting. Should you find yourself in conflict with a drunken Santa, walk away. Just let it go.”
Another guideline says: “Santa spreads joy: Not terror. Not vomit. Not trash. Would you want those things under your tree?”
Maybe “New York should banish the Santas to the North Pole,” the Times’ editorial suggested.
PB/TK – Oh geez, “Santacon” is coming to town, now if only a few reindeer “furries” would show up. But which is safer to hug; the furry or the drunk santa
