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Photos: The Faces Of SantaCon 2013
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 15, 2013
Modified Dec 15, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 15, 2013
Modified Dec 15, 2013
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We come here to bury SantaCon 2013, not to praise it. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones—or it's embedded in super defensive, thou-doth-protest-too-much quotes in NY Times articles. "This is real street theater and I'm a fan of that," Sidney Oolongo told them. "We're supporting local businesses," argued Viking Santa. “For us, it’s a tradition, and nothing is going to stop us," said Amber Tyson, who travelled from Philly for the occasion. "I have on a shirt, actually," added Angelique Blake.
All this talk of t-shirts and Viking Santas makes us wonder: have we judged SantaCon too harshly? Oh sure, if you watch the videos, it makes everyone participating look like thuggish fratboys who have reached the 'anger' stage of a three-day bender. And if you read the neighborhood complaints, you'd think the streets are flooded with regurgitated candy canes and the shell-shocked husks of revelers after the festivities.
But there are also those who think the day is about "togetherness." So this has inspired us to take a long hard look at the human faces of SantaCon. The drunken, rosy-cheeked, makeup-smeared, vomit-flecked, sour-breathed faces of SantaCon. See you all next year, unfortunately.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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