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The beautiful Santacos Santa cosplayers of Christmas 2018【Photos】

Casey Baseel Dec 28, 2018
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A belated Christmas present from Japan’s idols and models.

Japan may celebrate Christmas with presents and decorations like they do in other countries, but it’s also got a few traditions of its own, like eating fried chicken and strawberry shortcake. One of the biggest differences, though, is that in Japan Christmas Eve is the biggest date night of the year.

While it’s nice for lovers to have one more day to make kissy faces with one another, that can make Christmas Eve a little lonely for single guys…unless, that is, they indulge in another of Japan’s unique ways to spend the holiday: Santacos.

プレゼント全部配り終わったよ！今年もお疲れ様でしたー！
なサンタコス🎅 pic.twitter.com/bLr0EDFTnT

— じま太 (@wooper8looper) December 25, 2018

A combination of “Santa” and “cosplay,” Santacos eschews the ideal of source-material accuracy that typifies cosplay based on anime and video game characters. So instead of elderly Rubenesque men with snowy hair and thick beards, the majority of Santacos participants are female models and idols sharing photos online to mark the yuletide season.

Merry Christmas Eve🎄🎅🌟
2018.12.24#サンタコス #らぶりつ下さい #欲しがりマン pic.twitter.com/sigKOZyZTI

— 💋大木場美鈴(みぃにゃん💋 (@miinyaaaaan0915) December 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/dechau_risako/status/1076792413811699712

御寺ゆき（@terachan1220）2018.12.16 イマドキ撮影会個撮アイススペース新橋スタジオBst 本人確認済み #御寺ゆき #イマドキ撮影会 #サンタコス #クリスマス pic.twitter.com/bzAWigHank

— ふじちゃん (@fujichan2010) December 25, 2018

Since the goal isn’t so much to look like Santa as it is to wear something with a bit of Santa fashion influence, there’s actually a lot of opportunity for variation in Santacos outfits, such as adding hoods…

クリスマス過ぎたけどいーよね

別パターンのサンタコス🎅🏻 pic.twitter.com/2jFjFKn47n

— 高橋あきほ〈Kolokol〉 (@akh_klkl) December 26, 2018

サンタコス🎅💕 pic.twitter.com/R7tps2M4p5

— 𝘼𝙞𝙢𝙞 (@Aichipo07) December 27, 2018

…rabbit ears…

他にもサンタコス着てるのあった🐰❤️

まだこの時髪長い👧

ハッピーメリークリスマス🎅🎄🎁 pic.twitter.com/F4emC2dhw5

— 林ゆめ (@H_yume_1018) December 25, 2018

…or hoods with rabbit ears.

https://twitter.com/non2ruby/status/1077527323052630017

Here we see a Santacos in which the model has added a jaunty cape, and also traded in Santa’s eight-reindeerpower sleigh for the 300-plus horses of a Subaru WRX STI.

Merry X’mas🎄💕

インプレッサ × サンタコス
kawo君に撮ってもらいました📷✨

さて、
プレゼントの準備をしようかな🎅🏻🎁 pic.twitter.com/0CCRzXO3Vx

— さおちゃん (@Rix42v) December 24, 2018

And while most Santacos outfits make use of the orthodox red-and-white color scheme, as long as they’re sufficiently faux-fur lined and velvety, other hues are OK too.

超絶可愛い水色サンタコス
りんなちゃん🐣（みりんちゃん🐣）@rinna_mizukawa #可愛い #水色サンタコス #七色より少しくすんだところ

17ライブに参加中、ライブ配信のフォローお願いします🐣https://t.co/DKftaj4TLd … … … … … … … … … pic.twitter.com/us72gl9oA4

— Hiro(ひろ爺)📷 RAW現像中😎 (@hnasu5709_hiro) December 17, 2018

https://twitter.com/aili_1001/status/1077588677763592193

▼ Another example of car-related Santacos

https://twitter.com/latte_3396/status/1077773049062019072 https://twitter.com/satoayaaaan/status/1077220590392553472

▼ These baggy substitutes for Santa’s boots seem to be paying homage to the “loose socks” trend that swept Japan in the late ‘90s.

https://twitter.com/otmynbbrm/status/1077553741870510081

In the past, Santacos was more commonly known as “minisukasanta,” from “miniskirt Santa.” With the increasing popularity of cosplay, though, Santacos seems to have overtaken it as the preferred term, as many models go for a mix of cuteness and sexiness in their photos.

サンタコスで初稼働でした🎅✨
美味しい差し入れもありがとうございました💓
優しいお客様にも恵まれて、とっても楽しかったですー！🌟#リーチエンジェル pic.twitter.com/3Ycifon8gc

— 😇七瀬みお😇 (@7se_mioo) December 22, 2018

https://twitter.com/Onakasuita3_3/status/1077548363220901889

Of course, short hemlines on Santa outfits remain perennially popular, as evidenced from the crowd reaction to K-pop idol group Blackpink’s Santacos at this concert in Japan.

https://twitter.com/kpop77694448/status/1077828603864178689

That wraps things up, but remember, if you promise to be very good all year long, Santacos will come again next Christmas.

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he maintains that the bug-eyed WRX is the best-looking WRX.