As he walked through the crowd of hundreds of bearded, plump and jolly white men, Larry Jefferson, a professional Santa Claus, stood out.
It was July, at the annual Santa Claus convention in Branson, Mo., which draws more than 800 Santa Clauses and Mrs. Clauses from across the country.
To Jefferson of Irving, Tex., the Santas at the convention were just like him — his “brothers in the red suits.” But unlike nearly all of the others, and contrary to most classic American images of St. Nick, Jefferson is black.
Unknown to him at first, there was a Santa recruiter at the convention looking for someone just like him. A Santa by the name of Sid went to the convention on a mission: find a Santa of color. The organizers of the Santa Experience, which offers photo sessions with Santa in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., during the holiday season, were hoping to diversify. In its 24 years, the mall had never had a black Santa Claus.
“He said, ‘Hey, if you want to work in Minnesota, we’ll treat you nice,’” Jefferson said in an interview.
On Thursday, Jefferson had his first day of a four-day stint at the Mall of America — marking the mall’s first black Santa and providing some Minnesota families with a holiday experience they thought was long overdue. One woman told Jefferson she had been waiting 25 years to see a black Santa. Other families told him they had driven hours just so that their kids could meet him.
But when Jefferson first became “Santa Larry,” it was not only about representing his community. “It was a calling, you know,” Jefferson said. Once you’re Santa, you’re always Santa.
Late Thursday evening, a reporter called a phone number listed for Jefferson’s event scheduling, expecting a booking agent or an automated recording. “Hello, this is Santa,” the voice on the other end responded as if it were second nature. After 17 years in the profession, and nearly a lifetime of taking on the role, his deep connection to his red-robed alter-ego is second nature.
Growing up in a family with 11 siblings, Jefferson always loved Christmas, he said. One year, when he was 12, his father’s back was hurting, and he did not feel up to putting the Christmas presents under the tree for the family.
“I need you to be Santa for me,” he told his son. Jefferson gladly stepped up. He waited until his siblings were fast asleep before he quietly opened the door and crept out to the car to carry in the Christmas presents.
When his nephews were sick one year near Christmas, he bought a Santa suit and asked a neighbor to drive him across town to surprise them. And when he joined the Army reserves — for which he served as a captain for 30 years — Jefferson became Santa for the troops.
The news of his Mall of America gig — his highest-profile yet — has made him a bit of a celebrity. He has been featured in local and national news outlets and was invited to speak on the “Steve Harvey Show” on Friday. He would love to set his sights even further — “I want to go to the White House!” he declared. But not everyone has been so eager to change the traditional image of Santa Claus. As recently as this year, potential employers have told Jefferson that he was not the “particular fit” for them, he said.
Of course, in many parts of the country, a Santa of color is not as unusual. In Houston, Santa has been seen wearing a zoot suit and dancing to jazz in Mexican American neighborhoods. On Native American reservations, Santa often adds American Indian attire to his red suit, according to an Associated Press report from 2013.
“For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white,” she said.
For some children, it is still a surprise to see a Santa who looks different from the rest, Jefferson said. On Saturday, back in Texas, Jefferson was putting on his coat, about to leave a party at a friend’s house, when some kids ran up to him.
“Oh,” the boy said, looking up at him in bewilderment, according to Jefferson.
But behind the innocent looks of surprise is another sign of necessary progress in the country, Jefferson said.
The demand for photos with Jefferson is clearly plentiful; all of his appointments at the Mall of America’s Santa Experience this weekend were entirely booked by Thursday.