Does DEI’s reach extend all the way to the North Pole?

Can — or should — Santa Claus be black? What about his wife?

Earlier this month, UK retail and health company Boots caused a stir with an advertisement depicting Mrs. Claus as African American. It’s not the first time Kris Kringle and his missus have been portrayed as black, but nonetheless is a departure from the white mythological figure from Norway upon which traditional depictions are based.

The concept of “Black Santa” isn’t new — the character has long been seen in books, on television, and at greeting stands in shopping malls. But does the motif conjure more diversity or division?

Christmas, and the Holiday Season writ large, is not a racial nor political occasion. In fact, it’s one of the few glimpses into what a unified American public looks like. A Gallup survey conducted in 2019 found 93% of the American population — across all genders, races, and incomes — celebrate Christmas. Whether gathering at the town square for Christmas tree lightings, exchanging gifts in celebration of the holiday, or attending church services in religious observance, the fact that this time of year is about joy and appreciating the irreplaceable things in life seems an understood and unwritten truth.

Santa himself stands as a symbol of unity for Christmas time. A 2011 study in the Journal of Cognition and Development indicated that 83% of children believe in Santa Claus. Being on your best behavior to avoid ending up on Santa’s “Naughty List,” writing a “wish list” of toys and hopes to Old Saint Nick and setting out milk and cookies for the jolly man on Christmas Eve have been a shared experience for millions of American children for more than a century. Politics and race do not even play a factor.

And it’s not all tidings of comfort and joy where Black Santa is concerned, either. Black Santa originated as an image used in minstrel shows to mock African Americans during the Jim Crow era in the United States. Why elevate a symbol born of such nastiness?

According to a YouGov survey, the overwhelming majority of Americans (79%) prefer the traditional depiction of Santa as white — but 67% of those same respondents were also okay with depictions of Santa as black.

When it comes to race debates over depictions of Father Christmas, there isn’t much of an appetite for Santa Claus culture wars. It seems most Americans agree: there are better things to worry about at this time of year.

Santa Claus: the great unifier.

Tags: Speech