Sloppy Santas

Santas get drunk, run amok
By ADAM WAZNY/The Winnipeg Sun

WINNIPEG - Who wants a Ho-Ho-Hoegaarden?

Yesterday evening dozens of people strapped on their Santa Claus suits and headed off to numerous nightclubs in the name of the holiday season.

For the eighth straight year, the social gathering known as Santacon fired up the sleigh and set a course for downtown Winnipeg. Adam Dudek, who helped organize this year's event, explains why:

Holiday spirits

"It's our way of celebrating Christmas," he said an hour before taking it to the streets. "There's nothing political or any message behind it -- it's just a way for people to go out and have some fun."

While nightclubs are the norm, Team Santa isn't above crashing any event or business it comes across

Shopping malls are fair game and music venues are in play, and the copious amounts of holiday spirits consumed by these part-time Pere Noels -- and their resulting actions -- is cancelled out by a simple theory: no one is going to kick Santa to the curb.

"I don't want to simplify it, but it's basically just an opportunity to get drunk and run amok," said Dudek, as Twisted Sister's version of Oh Come All Ye Faithful blared from the audio system in his duffle bag. Last winter, Dudek said 144 people took part in the Winnipeg Santacon.

Well in a world that seems to have lost the Christmas spirit amidst a tidal wave of consumerism, it's nice to see some people still have the right idea. X-Mas is just another good excuse to get drunk and run amok. Words to live by. Thank you Santa.