Five Reasons a Black Santa Doesn’t Matter

 Five Reasons a Black Santa Doesn’t Matter

by Fuller Ming

Today, many people in my own black American heritage are obsessed with having a Black Santa.  Granted, Jesus is not white - he was a Middle-Eastern Semetic, a Jewish man. Many years ago, an Asian Santa visited George Takei in his internment camp when he was a child.  (Of course, the Japanese Internment Camps of WW2 is yet another example of how horrible human beings can be to each other… but I digress. ) The Asian Santa was indeed indicative of where US culture in general was headed. Thus, it isn’t just my black American heritage that changes the ethnicity of Santa. 

This ethnic fluidity is a form of relativism. Today, we are ALL culturally surrounded by symbols and ideas of moral and historical relativity, postmodernism, some of which are simply illogical.  I’ll write about these things later.

But back to the question - does having a Black Santa really matter?  Is there an official canon of Santa lore that if you break, you will be outcast by society or – as many say, you will be cancelled!  Here are five reasons it really doesn’t matter:

#1 The Real Saint Nicholas was from Turkey

A case could be made that Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is indeed modeled after or

inspired by Nicholas of Myra. If so, then it really doesn't hurt to build the fictional Santa on the scaffolding of the real Nicholas, Bishop of Myra from the 3rd Century AD. Although Nicholas of Myra might be bothered a little, it really doesn't matter.

Regarding ethnicity, since Myra is in southern Turkey, then he was a Euro-Asian man with almond shaped eyes, with a slight “yellow/olive” complexion.  So, link Santa to the good bishop - ethnically speaking, and call it a day!  People in Southern Turkey from 1st century Rome were of a similar ethnicity. Even people in the Bible had this ethnicity since biblical Ephesus is in Western Turkey.  If you want, go ahead and add the fantasy of the North Pole and a host of multiethnic elves to deal with our desired cultural diversity issues.

#2 Santa is Secular not Religious

Because the Roman Catholic church did such a great job at making the Mass of Christ a world-wide part of the official liturgical calendar, Christmas became universal. This is why St Nicholas is so well known.  Yet, today, this guy is mostly a secular non-religious figure, 

especially in the United States. Therefore, it really doesn't matter how he is portrayed.  It was the 1827 (or 1823) poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, better know as “Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore that really defines this non-religious Santa.

Another non-religious celebration that factors into our view of Santa is The Dutch Sinterklaas.  The name is clear, but the secular nature is not as clear.  The focus of the Dutch Sinterklaas, with his black/Moore helper Zwarte Piet, often portrayed with blackface by white Dutch people, is all about secular celebrations today.  As one site explains, “Many of today’s traditions…came from a book written by teacher Jan Schenkman in 1850 and the real commercialization of Sinterklaas began in the 1930s”[1]

Then, in the United States, the claymation stop-motion movies and films from the 1960’s

helped to solidify the secular notion of Santa.  Three movies really made Christmas a secular holiday: (1) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), by Videocraft International, Ltd.. later known as Rankin/Bass Productions, (2) Santa Clause is Coming to Town (1970), by Rankin/Bass, and (3) my favorite because of the Miser brothers, The Year Without a Santa Clause (1974) by Rankin/Bass.

#3 Santa Clause is Pure Fiction

Another worldwide image of Santa Clause is Father Christmas. Before Santa was associated with giving toys to children, Father Christmas was purely symbolic and focused on the spirit of the life of the party for adults.   “Father Christmas was a strictly allegorical figure. He was a symbol of the Christmas season, rather than a mythical being.” [2] 

This image is pure fiction, made up to personify Christmas in England in the Middle Ages.  The image is as a merry old man who presided over Christmas parties!  The image and the parties had an “emphasis on entertainment for adults”[3] which included large amounts of alcohol!

So, since the secular Santa was invented – a made up character and Father Christmas is made up, there is no reason to be upset over this character being white, black, Asian, or African.  Santa Clause is pure fiction and so it really doesn’t matter what ethnicity he has.

#4 There is Value in Esteem-Building Fiction

A new children's book, entitled “The Real Santa” by Nancy Redd addresses the desire for many black families for a Black Santa – or at least a way to definitely relate to Santa.  The book provides a narrative about Christmas, traditions, family, and love.  Why then couldn’t the magic of Santa have him appear to each family differently, as part of their ethnicity and heritage? Any magical power that allows a man to fly all over the world in one night and deliver gifts to the children of the world could easily and magically change his ethnicity.  

The author, Ms. Nancy Redd, the beautiful 2003 Miss Virginia and in the top 10 for Miss America that same year, is trying to make a point.  That point is based on the cultural trends and value needed in the black community in the US.  On one level, I am 100% with her in spirit and would encourage you to buy her book and read it with your children.

Redd’s passion for the black community and black families in America is important.  Many people struggle with identity issues and even beauty queens struggle with looks, body image, and all other things human.  Redd even wrote a book about body-image issues for young girls.  Body-image issues are evil and IMHO from demons and such issues have haunted and impacted so many young women regardless of their ethnicity!

Therefore, the idea of building a child’s esteem using fiction has some merit.  Mattel the toy company does this by having Barbie be a doctor, an engineer, or a business leader.  Mattel added friends for Ken and Barbie from other ethnicities, and they eventually created black Barbie dolls.  Granted, it took until 1980 for the first black Barbie doll to appear but hey, it happened and had tremendous cultural impact[4].

#5 Symbolic Truth is not Real Truth

Practically, I would not want to bend over backwards to help my own grandchild feel comfortable with a Black Santa or to avoid a White one. I would rather expose my granddaughter to Black engineers, Black business leaders, Black authors (like my wife!) and Black scholars in a world of diversity.

I think a diversity based in reality is more impactful.  I would like a diversity built on overcoming the sinful prejudice of reality with skills, hard work, and determination - something I wish I was better able to give my own kids when they were growing up.

Even so, like self-image and body issues, learning to relate to and thrive in this 21st century culture as a black person is important. Yet, for me, since my overall goal in the latter half of my life is to promote the truth of God, then I pray that God can use the "lovey dust" of Nancy Redd and anyone else to spark conversations about truth.

The fact is, Symbolic Truth is not Real Truth.  What I mean is this:  although values are real and symbols can be used to teach values, if there is no absolute referent for the symbol, it is not metaphysically real.  That is, the value may be good to have, but it is being taught based on an individual's feelings, wants, desires, and personal beliefs. The symbol is made up to teach a value but since the symbol is made up, the value being taught doesn't have an absolute anchor, so it can and will change over time.  This is what makes morals and values relative and culturally based.  Many use the word "truth" in this way, speaking of a person living "their truth." But Real Truth - the way I'm defining it, cannot belong to one person.  Like physics and chemistry, God's ethical and moral principles are absolutely true, regardless of my feelings because the referent is absolute.  Such values do not change.

Even so, Redd’s book about The Real Santa can create opportunities for conversations that can touch on the Real Truth - Jesus Christ and him crucified and all the implications that must follow.  After all, Jesus' birth is the narrative of the holiday season and Bishop Nicholas was a preacher of the Gospel before most of Christianity morphed into the Holy Roman Empire in the 5th century.

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[1] Dutch News . (2015, November 30). Ten things you need to know to celebrate sinterklaas. DutchNews.nl. Retrieved December 24, 2021, from https://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2015/11/ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-celebrate-sinterklaas/

[2] Moriarty, Tom (2021),  “The English Origins of Father Christmas”, online at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/the-history-of-father-christmas/

[3] ibid

[4] Finnegan, S. (2021, April 1). Groundbreaking glamor: 40 years ago, the first black barbie debuted: Dolls Magazine. Groundbreaking Glamor: 40 Years Ago, The First Black Barbie Bebuted. Retrieved December 24, 2021, from https://dollsmagazine.com/groundbreaking-glamor-40-years-ago-the-first-black-barbie-debuted/