There is an event that happens this time of year in cities all over the world. It originally started in San Francisco by the Cacophony Society in 1994. Now it takes place in over 300 cities in more than 40 countries. Sometimes it is called Santarchy.  But it is more commonly known as SantaCon.

I have attended this party a few times in different cities. It was always a lot of fun. But it was also a lot of drinking.  The organizers find bars around the city that will serve the Santas. Sometimes Santas get discount drinks. Sometimes they have special places reserved for only Santas.

Some Santas find ways to conceal containers or alcohol so they can drink on the street rather than fight their way into a crowded bar. That is what I used to do. I used to carry a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke and plastic bottles of rum in a large red bag and mix it in a cup or water bottle.  Or I would pre-mix my rum and Diet Coke in a large bottle. I saved money and time waiting for drinks. I always got trashed.

But not this year. This year I atteneded and stayed completely sober. You might wonder why someone who doesn’t drink would want to attend an event that has become known for drunk Santas and debauchery.  I like going to see the creativity and togetherness. Not everyone dresses as Santa. I have seen reindeer, grinches, snowmen, elves, and people wrapped as gifts. Anything that is holiday-like. I once saw a Jewish Santa with a red Yamaha and orthodox curls. It is fun when you have a group of friends to stroll the streets with dressed in costume.

This year was not so fun because I arrived late and could not find my friends. So even if I got drunk I would have gotten bored and depressed on my own. I did dress up and walk around to a few bars to observe the festivites. I took photos of the city dressed up in Christmas cheer. I ordered a hot cider and stressed no alcohol, which surprised the server some.

I will plan out next year more. I did have a friend that was supposed to go with me and he has been a great supporter of my sobriety. But he hurt his ankle the other night and walking around bar hopping was not something he could or wanted to do anymore.

Watching drunk people being asses also helped my decision to not drink.

Mistake: I think I wrote about a few of the Santacons I have been to and the dumb mistakes I made after even if I did not name the event in the mistake. But I know I did not write about my last SantaCon before I got sober. I got super drunk. I do not remember the last venue. But I woke up in my bed with two guys. I did not know them. The one left early. The other took me out for breakfast. I remember really wanting a mimosa for breakfast but the place did not serve alcohol until the afternoon. I was very hungover.

The guy commented how drunk I was the previous night. I asked why did my leg hurt. He said I fell going up some concrete stairs. I looked up my jean leg and noticed the huge scrape and bruise. I had scraps on my hands. He said he thought I would need medical attention but I surprisingly stood up laughing. Good thing I did not sprain a wrist or anything else. I asked who the other guy was. He said he was a regular at the bar. I wanted to ask but was too embarassed, but he read my mind. “You don’t remember having sex, do you?”

Nope.

He was gonna tell me exactly what happened but I told him I didn’t want to know.

He added me on Facebook and got my number. But I ignored his texts and calls. I eventually deleted him off Facebook.  I did not want to be reminded of what I could not remember.