Seeking An Extraordinary Life - A Travel Journal

Of course, having posted hurriedly that I was taking a break, I realised that I'd broken off before posting my Vegas Santacon posts, which just seemed like bad timing. So I'll put these up next, then I'll see you all after Christmas!
I spend a fair bit of the day putting together my Santa suit for the evening's Santa Rampage. Once again I'll be going as Cthulhu Claus, which means I'll be in some way representing a 200-foot-tall, winged, face-tentacled elder god who rises from the ocean to devour men whole. In 2005 I made a full set of felt face tentacles, bat wings and painted myself green - I was very happy with the costume but it was a nightmare to put together, I stained everything I touched green and the tentacles proved incompatible with drinking beer.


In 2006 I went with a simpler "high priest" theme, with black-rimmed eyes, a Cthulhu symbol on my santa hat and of course the Santa Staff of Doom (featuring Randolph Carter the Christmas Skull). More comfortable and practical (although the staff proved a bit of a pain when it was time to dance or otherwise move freely).

This year, since I'm in a largely unfamiliar city and experiencing what might be a very different kind of Santacon, I decide to go with simple and convenient - more of a generic horror santa costume, of which Cthulhu would at least approve, I feel.

I've already obtained my suit. Cheap santa suits seem to be in much shorter supply over here than they are back home, and I finally run out of time and am forced to spend $50.00 on this one at Target. It's a damn good suit though.


Compared to the cheap suits I've used before, this is luxury - material that doesn't start to separate as soon as you put it on (and actually has a lining to prevent scratchiness!), boot tops, a real zip on the jacket, and a belt with a metal buckle! The beard is made of individual (nylon) hairs instead of being cut out of furry material. Very classy, and perfect for my plan.


Take beard...


(which I'm overjoyed to discover comes in its own hairnet)


...and weave in boiled chicken bones! I had to eat twenty spicy wings and drumsticks to obtain these. God, how I suffer for my art.


Ta-da! Actually it looks a bit crap on camera. But fairly creepy in real life.


The jacket gets a row of bones down the front too - I sew a few stitches of white thread in at intervals, then wind the other end of the thread round a superglue-coated bone. It holds really well.


I also find one of my old hitching flags, and add it for a patriotic touch. It only remains to gather my supplies (camera, route plan and a sports bottle full of brandy) and head out to catch the bus downtown (Deidre's already left for Arizona and Mark's got a recording session).


I've allowed an hour and a half, which will be just about enough to catch the two buses to get me to Fremont Street. But I've been waiting at the bus stop no more than two minutes before a blue SUV pulls up, and James says "Santa can't be waiting at no bus stop. Where you going to?" Sometimes people are amazing. I've met some generous people when I've been hitch-hiking but it's the first time I've been offered a lift when I wasn't even looking for it!


As a result I'm comfortably early, and relax with a pre-game drink in Fitzgeralds Casino's nearest bar. On the way to the bar I am stopped for photographs by four separate groups of people. It's good to be Santa. It's also amusing to see the confused and worried looks develop when they notice the bones.


A pause outside to watch the extraordinarily cheesy ice show taking place beside the casino - sequin-covered performers with terrifying fixed rictus grins twirling and leaping on an undersized rink - and then register that the santas have already begun to arrive.


The crowd is as friendly, welcoming and energetic as I would expect back home, and I'm soon welcomed into the bosom of Vegas santadom and join in some rousing carols.

I believe we're here shown yelling out "Frosty the Crackhead". Ah, those old holiday favourites. Of course, the bigger the crowd gets, the better the photo ops... ...and many tourists go away very happy if a little bemused. After the carolling, the ice show comes around again... ...and santas become somewhat transfixed, although not transfixed enough to fail to heckle during particularly cheesy routines. A final group shot... ...and we're moving! To the King's Bar (in the Four Queens Casino) to kick off the serious drinking. We don't pause for long however, before moving on to the Gold Digger's club at the Gold Nugget. The arrival of about thirty santas proves something of a surprise for an unwitting civilian who has just stepped into the lift. On the dance floor, santas close in on a group of local girls who develop that "deer in headlights" look... ...while others relax on the balcony outside, with its exceptional view of Fremont Street. Finally sated with dancing, santas gather outside before an abortive attempt to get into the Girls of Glitter Gulch strip joint (shamefully and in complete defiance of the season of goodwill and giving they demand $20.00 a head)... ...and instead move on to the Golden Gate for those legendary 99 cent shrimp cocktails. This would take us up to around midnight, so I'll split the night here. More in the next post...