- TikTokers are dressing in their best emo and goth clothing and posing with Santa.
- Videos revealing the finished photos have received millions of views in this annual trend.
Videos of people dressing in goth, punk, and emo clothing and posing with Santa in shopping malls are receiving millions of views on TikTok as part of an alternative festive trend.
The search term "Emo Santa'' has nine billion views on TikTok, and "goth with santa" has over 9 million.
It's not the first time creators have engaged in the trend — a video posted in December 2021 which showed a user called @yeahimcaroline dressing in alternative clothing and posing beside Santa was viewed over 2.4 million times, and a video posted by @punk_irl in December 2020, which showed a person sitting on Santa's lap in full goth gear, was viewed 2.1 million times.
@yeahimcaroline Let the gatekeepibg comments bein and HAPPY YULE TIDE❄️
♬ original sound - derrykwithay
This year the trend re-emerged and many videos are once again gaining hundreds of thousands of views.
One of the most popular was posted by TikToker @thepunkstylist. The video, posted on December 7, shows a montage of a person getting ready in full goth gear before visiting Santa. It was viewed over 1.8 million times.
In the caption @thepunkstylist said they were "verbally attacked by multiple people at the same time during this experience" but comments reacting to the video were positive. "The alt Santa picks go so hard," one user said in a comment that recieved 1,900 likes. "Looooove & santy claws looks STOKED," a comment with 1,600 likes said.
Another TikTok user, 24-year-old Naomi Sharp, uploaded a TikTok on November 19 which showed her and four friends dressed in emo and goth clothing and posing with Santa in the Westfield Penrith shopping mall in Sydney. "This is your sign to get emo santa photos," the on-screen caption read. The video that received over 2 million views.
@lunamoor_ It was so much fun @honeymustardk @kittykatekem (Angel) @obalmer69 @toxicxcript #fyp #emo #christmas #goth #alt #alternative #santaphotos #santaphotoshoot #screammovie ♬ Custer - Slipknot
"We all identify as alternative and dress like this regularly, but we definitely had a specific look in mind with these photos," Sharp told Insider. "Everything we wore was already part of our wardrobes."
After sharing the video Sharp said she received comments from some users who said they had done the same thing in the 1980s and 1990s.
"We used to do this as teens in Melbourne, whole bunch of us went. I still have the pictures too! That was a while ago now," one comment with over 9,300 likes said.
@thepunkstylist We got verbally attacked by multiple different people at the same time during this mall experience #santaphoto #gothsantaphotos #gothsanta #gothchristmas #punkchristmas #funnychristmascards #antireligion #sacreligous #thepunkstylist #punkhair #libertyspikes ♬ Boredom - Buzzcocks
Sharp said she thinks the videos are popular on TikTok as they provide an alternative to the usual images you see at Christmas.
"Santa photos are typically nice family photos, so emo goth Santa photos are just a fun juxtaposition," Sharp told Insider. "I think it's just something fun to see."
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.