What are all these Santas doing in Kelowna?

If you were out downtown this weekend you may have noticed a few more Santas than usual all participating in the gathering known as 'SantaCon'.

In their own words, the event is the quintessence of Christmas spirit rolled up into a walking flotilla of very merry Santas.

It's an international event that got it's start in San Francisco as a movement to distance the holiday from rampant commercialization and return to spreading cheer and happiness among people.

"I mean how can you not love Santa when you have so many beautiful Santas all around you?" organizer Carson Kendel told Kelowna10 as he gestured to the troupe of people clad in festive wear. "Santa is giving, Santa is caring, and Santa likes to party."

The event is a Christmas themed pub crawl where participants dress up in their favourite festive gear and visit bars and pubs in downtown Kelowna, spreading the Christmas spirit as they go.

It's something that Kendel thinks is important for lifting the spirits of those involved as well as the people around them.

"I think that if there's any time of year when people need an extra little push to feel good and just be together, then that time is right now," he explained. "So Santa spreads the cheer because the cheer needs spreading. And the people, I think that they appreciate the cheer that Santa brings."

Spreading cheer isn't the only goal of the occasion though, and this year's gathering of jolly merrymakers set out to raise awareness as well as donations for Kelowna's S.H.A.R.E Society.

In addition to the Santas in the group, Kendel said they also have 'elves' going around collecting donations on behalf of the organization.

The S.H.A.R.E Society is a community thrift store that uses the majority of their profits to fund their in-house charitable programs, from basic community assistance to their Adopt a Family Hamper Program.

"It's a really great cause helping those in need around Christmas, especially right here in Kelowna," he said.