Istanbul — People had said this would be the Pajama New Year in Istanbul. We would stay home, hang out with friends, keep away from public spaces. I was expecting a cozy night, far away from the crowds and celebrations, and headed to a house party in the city’s Anatolian side. Public gatherings in the squares seemed lame on TV: small crowds of men smoking in front of cameras, wet and cold under never-ceasing rain.

Midnight struck, and then came the news: Two gunmen wearing Santa Claus costumes had entered a nightclub by the sea on the European side and killed at least 39 people in a few minutes. Scores of clubgoers escaped the massacre by jumping into the freezing waters of the Bosporus Strait. Those survivors had entered 2017, we learned, floating in between continents.

The sinister image of killer Santas turned out be inaccurate — the story was denied by Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, who said there was only one attacker, later reported to be dressed in black — but it resonated. A few days ago, a youth group had staged a mock execution of Santa in front of a shopping mall, putting a gun to the head of their costumed friend, threatening those who like to party.

In newspapers, images of crowds celebrating the New Year were contrasted with those of the dead in Syria and Palestine. The characterization of the so-called White Turks as wealthy, degenerate, condescending elites obsessed with partying resurfaced, to remind people of the proper object of their resentments.