Dozens of grown-ups dressed in Santa Claus garb are coming to downtown Mountain View this Saturday evening, for no real reason other than to cavort in funny outfits while drinking and singing silly songs.

The phenomenon known as "SantaCon," which for years has assembled every December in cities around the world, is scheduled to kick off its South Bay event this Saturday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. at a bar in downtown Sunnyvale before stepping onto a Caltrain for Castro Street.

Organizers have a whole evening planned out for Saturday, but details are kept secret. According to one e-mail from an organizer, the group will march four abreast down the main streets of several cities, including Mountain View, while singing funny Christmas carols. Eventually, after similar antics, the Santas will gather somewhere for a late-night after-party.

A set of rules on the group's Web site encourages would-be Santas to be nice to children and to not consume too much alcohol, among other things.

— Daniel DeBolt

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