Jolly St. Nick or Jerky St. Nick?

It doesn't take much for groups of people to get together and do something outrageous anymore...whether it be the naked bike rides that have taken over cities to flopping through mud and slime as a sort of "race," dressing up like one's favorite comic book character or superhero, or flash mobs of any kind doing the "Thriller" dance. This seems to be the latest fad. I think the popularity involves the idea of anonymity, as in "nobody I know will see me there" to "the group is so huge that the police can't possibly stop it." Santacon, though, is something that really needs to be somewhat curtailed. Thousands of people dressed as Santa or one of his elves, descended on Manhattan and London (and who knows where else) this past weekend and proceeded to visit every bar available in advance of dancing, drinking and fighting in the streets. (Sounds like a Mick Jagger lyric, doesn't it?).
Historically, this is not a new phenomenon. It began as a flash mob in San Francisco in 1994 and simply continued to grow. Columnists have alternately dubbed it "a parasite" or an event that "contributes absolutely zero value " to the neighborhoods whose traffic patterns and daily life are disrupted. Plus, think what the tiny tots must think when they see would-be Santas carousing!
At least Burning Man Festival has the decency to exist far out of the public eye!