“I hate that it’s been raining and cold, because you can’t wear your cute outfits and stuff,” she said.
“I hate that it’s been raining and cold, because you can’t wear your cute outfits and stuff,” she said.
But the day drinking was a plus.
“So far, I love that it starts so early,” she said. “You just wake up and you get dressed in your Santa outfit and start drinking.”
For Brenda Cavalero, a native of Lima, Peru, who joined her family for the festivities, a highlight was taking public transit to the event along with a host of other people in red, white, and green.
“It’s a good experience for my family to take the Muni and all that,” the 34-year-old said. “I love that.”
Longtime SantaConners and longer-time friends Mike Mueller, 65, and Tomm Heath, 68 (“the only Tomm you’ll meet with two M’s”), have fond memories of being part of the spectacle over the years.
“We generally go down to North Beach, and we used to go to a place called Calzone’s, and watch the tour buses come by, and they would all get excited on the top of the tour bus,” Heath recounted. “So that was a lot of fun.”
Sure, things can get unruly.
“There is urination in the alley and all that,” Heath acknowledged.
“But this,” he said of the tamer daytime portion of the event, “this is the purest part.”