As I’ve mentioned before, I traveled to Washington, DC on December 12, 2009 to see the National Geographic Museum’s Terracotta Warrior Exhibit.  Before I needed to get to the museum for my scheduled ticket time of 3:30 pm, I decided to visit some of the Smithsonian Museums.

As I crossed the Mall, I saw a large group of people, dressed up in Santa Clause and other Christmas related costumes. They were congregating around a carousel and they looked like they were having a great time.

I walked over to them and found out that they were celebrating Santarchy (www. santarchy.com).  The website describes themselves as “just a bunch of santas getting together to have a good time” and states that they do not condone or encourage violence or vandalism. I spoke to some of the celebrants at the Washington DC event or “Santacon” and they said that they had spent the day caroling around the Mall in their costumes.