SantaCon 2010 in Bethesda, MD. Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

It’s that time of year again. The season of Starbucks holiday drinks, frenzied shopping and SantaCon. Never heard of SantaCon before? Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out starting at 4 p.m. today when Columbia’s SantaCon begins.

Originally started in San Francisco in 1994 by an anarchy group, SantaCon has since evolved to a celebration where party-goers all dress like Santa, ho-ho-ho all night long and pass out presents. This year, SantaCon is happening in 221 locations in 31 countries. SantaCons usually involve drinking and isn’t the best event for kids, but some are family friendly. The event is always non-political, non-profit, non-religious and “non-sensical,” according to the Columbia event’s Facebook.

Columbia hosted their first SantaCon in 2009. About 25 attended then, and there’s no telling how many will be in attendance this year. This year’s SantaCon will have stops at Blue Fugue, Tonic, RagTag, McNally’s and Teller’s, among others. Even if you decide not to attend SantaCon, you’ll definitely see the jolly fat man (or some version of him) when you go out tonight.

Will you be attending Columbia’s SantaCon?