"My Reindeer Understand Chinese Airspace Regulations": St. Nick Reveals All Ahead of SantaCon, Dec 7

SantaCon is coming to town! The annual global fundraising event, in which a bunch of loonies dressed as Santa Claus take to the streets to bring Christmas cheer, drink too much beer, and generally have a merry ol' time, returns to Beijing once again. As the organizers put it, "There is no particular reason to dress up in Santa suits, run around Beijing for hours, give gifts, sing songs, have strangers sit on our laps and decide who is naughty or nice – but it’s a lot of fun – so Santa does it anyway." 

This non-commercial, non-political, non-religious, and non-sensical Yuletide event has become a staple of the Beijing winter holiday schedule, yet the true star of the show has always been media-shy, declining to give interviews. Until now. 

Ahead of the famous annual run, we took to Santa's lap to ask the tough questions for this tell-all interview.

Tell us, Santa, what does your pre-run training schedule look like?
I have been practicing my Chinese dialects, doing some ice swimming to prepare for a dip in Houhai Lake, and ensuring that my reindeer understand Chinese airspace regulations.

Which is better SantaCon hydration: milk or beer?
Last year in Inner Mongolia I was able to try a combination of alcohol and milk in the form of airag, made from fermented mare milk. But when in Beijing, I like to enjoy craft beer, mulled wine, and the occasional Yanjing!

Will Mrs. Claus be joining you on the run?
Mrs. Claus is the most important driver of SantaCon, and actually, we could do with having many more of her! Luckily, the organizers of SantaCon have a surplus of Mrs. Claus suits and will be selling them at SantaCon to raise funds for charity. 

What are you running from, anyway?
I always enjoy visiting Beijing for SantaCon because it allows me to discuss the importance of Christmas as a non-denominational holiday in a place that eschews the commercialization of joy and cheer.

Are you concerned that all this running will leave you slim and fit, and undermining the 'fat jolly Santa' brand you've worked to build for so many decades?
While I have been training hard for Beijing SantaCon I am also planning to enjoy many drinks and jianbing, which I think should help maintain my Beijing bikini.

What advice do you have for 2019 SantaCon runners?
Get ready to explore Beijing and its best bars who support SantaCon with drink specials and charity donations to Maovember, who Santas are helping to raise funds for rural libraries.

And finally, does red make you go faster?
Yes, especially in China on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic!

You heard him, folks, SantaCon 2019 is going to be big, red, and jolly. Come and join in all the fun at midday onwards on Saturday, Dec 7. Click here for all the details, and to register.

READ: 嚯, 嚯, 嚯! How Santa Claus Came to China

Images courtesy of SantaCon, Giphy, the Beijinger