Santa’s Vista bar crawl

Whether the list has already been made or checked twice, it doesn’t matter: Santa Claus is coming to the Vista.

He won’t have presents, but he will be spreading Christmas cheer. Actually, there will be multiple Santas strolling through the Vista Friday night as part of Santa Con, a Christmastime pub crawl.

Santa Con, a public gathering of people in Santa suits, began in San Francisco in 1994. It has spread across the world, and this is Columbia’s third event. It was started by a group of friends living in Canal Side who named their crew.

“I know it’s really cheesy, but we called ourselves the Canal Side Eight,” said Ana Marie Lasich, an organizer. “We were just looking for something to do. It’s more about who’s around you and making your city what you want it to be.”

Columbia’s Santa Con starts at 8 p.m. at Liberty Tap Room. Anyone can join the crawl — as long as you’re dressed as Santa. Any ideas of attending as a peripheral character in Santa’s story like, say, a reindeer or M&Ms, should be squashed.

“That’s a bit of a stretch,” Lasich said, ending this reporter’s dream of borrowing the deer-in-headlights costume he saw at a Halloween party.

Thoughts about channeling Will Ferrell and dressing as an elf? It’s already been done and that elf, just like those in the North Pole, had to do Santa’s dirty work like ordering drinks at the bar.

“It’s kind of like dressing up like Robin when everyone is dressed as Batman,” Lasich said.

A Santa hat. Does that count?

“We had a group of people that came last year in just the hat, and I think they felt a little left out,” Lasich countered.

Basically, come as Santa.

The Facebook event page suggests going to Party City for a Santa costume. (Why don’t more people dress as Santa for Halloween? He can be scary, judging by the reactions of some kids we’ve seen at the mall.) If paying money for a costume doesn’t sound appealing, you can make your own. Last year, there were cotton ball beards. And, you know, Santa only has to wear his suit once a year. What’s his wardrobe like the other 364 days of the year?

Women on the crawl can dress as Mrs. Claus. When a reporter asked if an attendee can be a Claus relative, Lasich responded, “You have to be a Claus of some sort.”

For the remainder of this article, Lasich will be referred to by her Santa Con name: Ana Claus.

Ana Claus, who will be carrying a mistletoe ball with a 9-inch circumference, said crawl participants must address each other as Santa or Mrs. Claus.

There are nine stops on the crawl, including Flying Saucer and Pearlz Oyster Bar. Since there’s a set beverage to consume at each stop, Ana Claus suggested that it would be wise to secure a sleigh ride home. The Santas should bring something joyful to spread — candy is a good idea — and there are four “F’s” every Santa should know, though we’ll not print the particular “F” word. Don’t (mess) with cops, don’t (mess) with kids, don’t (mess) with security and don’t (mess) with Santa. In other words, don’t re-enact “Bad Santa.”

Since Santa is the topic, when did Ana Claus find out he wasn’t real?

“I still believe in Santa Claus,” she said.

Come on.

“Well, I had an older sister so she ruined it for me,” she said. “So maybe six or seven. Isn’t that sad? I should’ve at least been 15.”