Does Santa Claus Have to Be White? A Jolly New Doc Says No
By: YahooFinance
Every year on Christmas Eve, my dad dresses up as Santa to visit the kids in our extended family. It's a tradition first started by his brother—also an older white guy—who was the first to throw on the scratchy beard, black vinyl boots, and bright red coat and hat. The costume was convincing enough, but oftentimes the freezing conditions of a Minnesotan December snowscape resulted in them trying to cover their faces as much as possible, bringing the beard and hat together in one seamless line. All that was left were two eyes poking out beneath them.
We couldn't tell if it was a man, woman, large bird, or three rascally kids standing on top of each other's shoulders under that suit. But it didn't matter. Santa is not a person, he's a symbol. He arrives every year to remind kids that being a good person is the most rewarding thing one can do in life. Hell, if you boil it down, Santa Claus is really just a child-rearing tactic.
But like everything tangentially related to the holiday season—from red coffee cups to wars on religion—Santa has become a hot-button issue. For a certain sect of Americans, it's their mission to rally against an ever-changing world pushing for progression. That deafening objection and the people who dare to defy it are the subjects of Santa Camp, a new documentary streaming Friday on HBO Max.
The film follows the New England Santa Society, which makes an annual pilgrimage to a New Hampshire campsite to brush up on the tricks of their trade. Unlike every other year, when Santa Camp is packed to the brim full of fat, jolly, old white guys, the Society is making an effort to address a historic problem, only growing more pertinent: the lack of diversity among their tight-knit group of merry men.
As Megyn Kelly's infamous (and incorrect) assertion that Santa must be white continues to proliferate, Santa Camp might be the definitive answer to the question, "Why do hundreds of years of tradition need to change?" And while the film can't always overcome its own overt desire to be impactful, it's still a fascinating dissection of humanity's habitual nature and a necessary glimpse at all of the good that comes from breaking those molds—one that everyone, old and young, should see this season.
Santa Camp introduces us to three unique Santas, each one working against the Santa Claus typecast for their own reasons. There's Chris, a Black Santa, who has decided to take up the mantle for his daughter and his community after receiving hate mail when he put up a Black inflatable Santa in his yard; Fin, a Santa with spina bifida, who has grown attached to what the character symbolizes and dreams of riding in a holiday parade to inspire others; and Levi, a trans Santa, who wants young people to understand that seeing yourself represented in the world is a powerful tool for self-discovery.
The film lets us sit with each of these three Santas, allowing us the grace to understand why this dream has become so important to them. Interspersed with their preparations for Santa Camp are meetings with the New England Santa Society, which is making arrangements of its own to accommodate these new Santas. This means trying to address their own biases, breaking them down so that camp can run smoothly. Chatter about cancel culture and our long-standing perception of Santa is eventually broken up by a seasoned Santa named Richard—the Santa soothsayer, if you will. "It just doesn't matter," Richard says about the complaints about new Santas that look different than their group joining the group. "As the oldest person here, it was hard to accept in my generation that God created no junk. And God created no junk."
When camp begins, it becomes apparent that not everyone is quite as prudent. We watch as the Santas clumsily stumble through their interactions with Chris and Levi, making needless comments about Chris' skin color and Levi's insistence to use his pronouns when introducing himself. "Being the only person of color here [is] definitely lonely and awkward," Chris tells the camera, as we see him walk past group activities and old friends without anyone offering so much as a glance. Most of the Santas have a near-palpable fear of being judged, even "canceled," for saying the wrong thing, and it's increasingly strange to see new members othered in a group that has gathered to celebrate their love of a mystical, milk-and-cookies-loving fat guy.
Meanwhile, Fin, who has the most to physically overcome at camp, is welcomed with open arms. He's got his mother along with him and an iPad to help him convey speech. It's both fascinating and wholeheartedly depressing to see him accepted with all the jolliness one would come to expect from a group of Santas, simply because he's a white guy. And though the group warms up to Chris and Levi as well by the end of the camp's session, it's frustrating that three of these unique Santas have to dump their traumas on this Santa Society, just to make the other Santas understand why this is so important not just for them, but for others like them.
The primary intention of Chris, Levi, and Fin is not to push any of the false agendas that the bigots who target them have made up. Rather, it's to make space for themselves in the world. As Levi very astutely puts it, children look at Santa and see the hope for a boundless future, one where Christmas wishes can come true. They can see themselves happy with the things they really want, maybe the things they're too afraid to express to anyone but the friendly guy in the bright red suit.
Santa is an emblematic figure, who represents the idea of Christmas as a beautiful time of year that's about coming together and celebrating each other for who we are. Santa isn't merely an omnipotent dude who stuffs his ass down your chimney once a year and steals all your sweets—he's a picture of Christmas as a force for good. He wants us to be good because he believes in the good of the world! It's why he's been doing this for so long, and why the myth of his existence still persists.
The fable of Santa Claus dates all the way back to Saint Nicholas in the fourth century. Saint Nicholas was a nonwhite bishop, who eventually moved through Christian lore and modern media to become the fur-trimmed, red-suit-wearing, white-bearded Santa we know today. Santa has evolved countless times before, across borders and through cultural folklore—why can't he do it again? Santa Camp practically begs us to remember that evolution is a natural part of the human condition, pondering why we're so attached to one single perception of an imaginary man when the tenets of the holiday he represents are founded in love and inclusion.
Santa Camp rounds itself off with sufficient style—there are scenes montaged to Donna Summer and Enya!—and a few sincere, hearty laughs. Scene stealers, like an outspoken Mrs. Claus named Dianne, who demands equal pay at gigs because she's "not just a warm-up act," and Fin's kindhearted mother Suki, buoy the film by showing us how easy is it to champion diversity from both inside and outside of the status quo.
And though parts of the film—specifically the Santas' post-camp public detractors—do occasionally feel artificial, it almost doesn't matter. It's inspiring to see the bravery on display here. Witnessing firsthand the positive effects of making space for representation is a critical tool in making progress. And what better time is there for a little improvement than the holiday season? After all, Santa's always watching.
Is there nothing else you could find to be offended and outraged about today?
I am sure this is just one of several
Whatever happened to Kwanzaa?
Your comment implies that Christmas is for one set of people and Kwanzaa is for another. Not a good look Vic.
That's your spin on it.
I'm asking why we don't ever hear about Kwanzaa anymore. Is it still being celebrated?
I didn’t get that from his comment.
As far as I know, Kwanzaa is pretty much a holiday celebration practiced by Black folks.
But is it?
Enough about Kwanzaa, it is not the topic of the seed and you know it. Further Kwanzaa comments will be removed.
Then put me down for depicting Santa Claus anyway that anyone desires.
[deleted]
The topic is multicultural Santa Clauses. Do you have a problem with that?
“So what's the topic besides your hatred of White people?”
White people???
As opposed to ALL people?
People that enrich our lives though they may be different? People that provide a perspective that may cause introspection?
People that have the same universal concerns..,raising their children in the right way, respecting their elders for the lessons learned, and doing all they can to pass along the history and legacy of their birthright. ‘White’ people have no monopoly on these things we all hold dear.
I have met Santa Clause and he looked pretty white to me although I guess he could have been multicultural, I never asked him. All I know is I never got my go cart.
Santa Claus is a mythical character.
Well, you got to have Cheech and Chong in there as well!
It comes after Christmas.
I haven't heard about it in the last few decades. For a while it was part of seasonal greetings.
What is "it" George?
What happened to Kwanzaa John?
Kwanza, I hit reply to Vic, to explain where Kwanza was. But since the coding here is substandard…..well you can figure it out.
lol
Do you have anything to say about the topic?
You may know that "Kwanzaa" was created by an activist named Maulana Karenga and supposedly first celebrated in 1966. In the late 80's it was shared in seasonal greetings on tv as well as on other forms of media. I'm asking if it has faded away?
Yes I do. People are free to portray Santa Claus anyway they wish.
Is there going to be an effort to change the image of Santa Claus?
What was funny about that comment John?
The airing of grievances!
Kwanza, Christmas…whatever one cares to call it.
‘Tis a time when we gather together as friends and/or family to give gifts, give thanks…and perhaps share a moment that reflect our affection for one another.
Let it be.
I don’t care if people of color dress up as Santa Claus, but this apparent need to establishment him as non-white is curious.
Depends what you mean by “non-white.” He could have been white. Odds are he was not Scandinavian levels of white, put might have still been fairly pale compared to some of the other options. He was born in what is now Demre, Turkey, which at the time (centuries before Turkish migration) would have been mainly populated by people of Greek and Roman descent. Nicholas himself is said to have been Greek.
We have his bones and scientists think he was possibly what we might call “olive-skinned,” but it’s hard to know 100%. Ancient Greek depictions of themselves show a variety of skin tones.
So, I’m not certain what people mean by “non-white” but if you’re trying to make him black, I think that’s a bizarre fantasy.
Anyway, we’re not talking about Saint Nicholas - a real person. We’re talking about Santa Claus - originally Sinter Klaas. That fictional character is a Dutch creation based on Saint Nicholas. That character - and the culture that spawned it - was most assuredly white. The modern image of a fat white man in a red suit is American, and brought to you by the Coca-Cola company. If that offends you, too bad.
Now, does Santa need to be white? Absolutely not. There is nothing about Santa Claus that requires he be white. There are plenty of real people of more brown coloring who live in the arctic and tend reindeer. And certainly just being generous or giving gifts to children is not race-specific.
Having said all that, I do think that if white people dressed up in a character developed in a non-white culture, there would be a lot of complaints about cultural appropriation. But like with Santa, unless there is something about that character that depends on a certain look, I don’t think it should matter.
“I don’t think it should matter.”
…bottom line…
There is no doubt that Santa Claus depiction has historically been as a white man. But Santa Claus is a mythical character. If the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk was depicted as black would anybody care?
Earlier this year some , conservatives I guess, complained because Cinderella was depicted as black in a new production of that fairy tale. Cinderella has to be white?
The bigger issue though is when a dominant element of society feels it is ok to marginalize minorities - "you cant be santa claus, black man, so keep bringing your kids to see santa in the malls where your black kids can ask the beneficent white man to provide for them."
Racial minorities in America have historically been marginalized in the popular culture. This of course has changed in recent decades but is still something to think about.
White people , as a racial group, have absolutely nothing to complain about - nothing. Yet some of us still do.
Exactly, didn't the mythical character originate in Europe with some linkage to Saint Nicholas, a Greek?
Are you an advocate for Black families to not visit malls with their children at Christmas time?