Santa's in Town

This afternoon I went to TOWWAS's Christmas show: two and a half hours of wholesome holiday revelry put on by a talented group of singers (and dancers). Then I headed to the Froggy Bottom pub with a couple of fellow audience members for an early dinner. It was five o'clock and we'd stumbled on a pub full of Santas: it was Santarchy.

There were male Santas and female Santas, an Elvis Santa, a cowboy Santa, a Trojan-helmeted Santa, and a pirate Santa. There was a Santa in a long brown cape, a Santa in a union suit, an Santa wearing a trucker hat, and a Santa with blonde dreadlocks. One woman was wearing a red dress reminiscent of the evil queen in Snow White; another was wearing a velvety red top befitting a Renaissance festival. I saw white-and-red striped tights and red fishnet tights, and numerous reindeer antlers. Some of the Santas were making out with each other indiscriminately.

At some point, after we'd finally managed to get some food from the harried waitstaff and were finishing up, the Santas all disappeared as if sucked up through a giant chimney. But in fact they'd used a less magical mode of transportation: I found myself walking behind four of them on the sidewalk after I'd left the pub. They were singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."