Christmas time is right around the corner and mall Santas are in abundance. Perhaps the most important mall Santa resides in the largest mall in the United States: The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. This particular Santa goes by the name of Larry Jackson. He is an army veteran that’s had a talent for playing the role of santa since he was 12 years old in his hometown of Irving, Texas. However, none of this matters to a large portion of internet users who wish to oust Jackson from his role as santa. What does matter to them is that he is African-American.

As co-owner of the Santa Experience at MOA, Landon Luther was very selective in his choice for Santa. Jackson was chosen at a Santa convention in Missouri where he showed the most promise out of more than one thousand other santas. He is jolly, friendly, and it’s worth mentioning that he has an all natural bushy white beard.

Of course, the children don’t mind the color of his skin. All that matters to them is that he has a bright red suit, a deep, jolly laugh, and the ability to guarente them all of the presents on their list. So why is this such a problem for internet users around the country?

Just like any controversy on the web, people have developed very extreme viewpoints on the matter, some so harsh that they forced Minnesota’s own Star Tribune to disable their comments section when originally posting the report. However, Luther is not deterred by the negative response. Since Jackson is the first African-American Santa impersonator during the extent of the 24 year old tradition, Luther describes Jackson as “a santa for all,” reflecting a large demographic of children who have never seen a santa that resembles them.

The contrasting side argues that Santa must be white as he is derived from the fourth century Greek Bishop known as Saint Nicholas. However, it cannot be argued that Christmas and Santa alike have been Americanized far beyond the European tradition. In this case, The Mall of America has decided that Santa should be a reflection of the children of the United States rather than the thousand year old roots of the now highly commercialized tradition.

Whether you agree with the choice to diversify Santa, the Santa Experience’s intentions are pure and the tradition of Christmas is still intact. It’s important to remember that Santa is a fictional character, and anyone can be Santa as long as they’re happy and jolly to spread holiday cheer. Instead, many have brought negativity to Christmas and have ironically self-imposed their holiday misery. What I mean is that the true purpose to Christmas is to find joy in the spirit of the season, and if you can only obtain that spirit from white people then maybe you should reassess your holiday ideology. The only rule to Christmas is to be jolly, and why ruin that by forcing some fake rules onto an already fake character? Enjoy the holidays no matter what you’re celebrating, because this season is truly for giving and acceptance.