This was Santa Skivvies 2024

It all started with a text from my editor: “Want to watch half-naked men don Santa hats and harnesses while they prance through the Castro?”

My immediate response? “Obviously.” Because any day that starts with a promise of leather, red jockstraps, and antler headbands can only end in peppermint schnapps and shame. And also prove once again that San Francisco knows how to do the holidays better — and weirder — than anywhere else.

Santa Skivvies Run is a sequin-soaked morning where participants don little more than holiday-themed underwear and then gaggle the streets of Castro. It’s sort of like SantaCon meets a polar bear swim, but with a gay twist and a lot more fun: You’re freezing your tits off, but it’s for a good cause and everyone’s really friendly.

I showed up in 250g Merino base layers, a ski jacket, gloves, and a beanie. But it was actually very warm this year, so I thanked the gods the San Francisco AIDS Foundation always comes prepared — the coat check saved my life. They began Santa Skivvies 16 years ago as a fundraiser, and while money is still raised, many simply enjoy the chance to walk around in a pair of sequined briefs.

By far the most classy-looking specimens at the event were Blade Bannon and his accessory, Aaron. Dressed in matching plaid onesies, they were giving “Hugh Hefner goes gay for Christmas.” (Hallmark Studios 2025?) Bannon is no stranger here — he volunteers in the community, assisting with the Castro Community Challenge Grants Program among other things — but this was his first year running.

Originally I had not planned on running, but once I was there I realized I didn’t want to wait 15 minutes to snap pics of cuties in their underwear, so I took off and ran through the neighborhood with them. I have to admit it felt powerful when I figured out that I could kick the walkers into gear just by pointing the camera their way. No one wants to be published walking a 1-mile run.

It all lasted 20 minutes at most after a late-morning start; Nothing wrong with a little cardio before the Castro’s typical wake-up time for brunch at 1 p.m.

“It just gets your heart pumping and you sweat a little bit, even in December. Your skin gets that natural shine, and it’s perfect for meeting up later with the other gays,” Daniel told me. He added it can be difficult to connect with other men, and events like this one are perfect to foster that connection.

Santa Skivvies means something different for everyone. Juan Ramon has been volunteering in Castro for quite awhile, for instance, marking the 7th year he joined on Sunday. He definitively won the most decked out award, donning a full-coverage outfit with false abs, a Santa cape, and festive homemade green slippers — I assume left over from last year’s Grinch outfit.

The run ended back at Lookout Bar, where top fundraiser Martin Grimes snagged an award for his team for raking in $3,350. But let’s be real: Everyone’s a winner when you’re half-naked and holding a mimosa at 1 p.m. The grand total was an impressive $2 million; Not bad to provide critical healthcare services for those in need.

Santa Skivvies is way more about taking off your clothes than celebrity sightings, but I did spot Scott Wiener and Brixton, the costumed Golden Retriever who makes more appearances than a drag queen at Pride. I found Wiener’s blue monochrome outfit with the Patagonia vest honestly a bit lacking. But per usual, Brixton was perfectly on-point in a gold “HoHoHo” necklace.

By the end of the day, my phone was filled with photos I’d never post to my family group chat, my legs were sore from chasing half-dressed runners, and my coat was mysteriously covered in glitter. But as I sipped a drink at Lookout and watched the crowd laugh and celebrate, I realized: Christmas may pass and holiday-themed cocktails will no longer get poured, but jiggling butts on Castro streets? Those are forever.

Courtney Muro is a San Francisco-based content strategist, producer, designer, and creator.

// Did you miss out on wearing tacky Christmas fashion and stumbling on San Francisco streets? Fear not. Just around the corner comes SantaCon, a more fratty, debaucherous Bay to Breakers sort of day that we often hate on here, but not always. It comes again on December 14th.