My last column was about my love and pursuit of Black Santa Claus figures. Doesn’t that seem like an innocent topic? Yes, I thought so as well. I was pretty much finished with shopping for additional holiday décor, but I was in a local home décor store and I saw a Black nutcracker he was so different and cute. His hat was made out of a pinecone. I put him in my cart and then as I made my way to the check out, I saw a Black Santa Claus cookie jar and grabbed him as well. While I was in line, I took a picture of both items and posted them on a Facebook group that I’m a part of. After I made my purchase I headed home and when I got home, I checked my Facebook page. OMG people were saying that my Santa was too black. One person called him “smutty,” another said he was blackety, black, black and then they demanded that I tell them when I found him. Some of the people seemed to like my selections and then others started to argue with each other. I took another picture of the Santa to show them he really is cute and perhaps the lighting was bad in the store and he is not as black as you think. Then I thought to myself this is awful. How can we argue over the skin tone of an inanimate object in 2020? One lady said to the others “I thought we were beyond this, are we going to pull out a brown paper next.”
By this time the comments and likes and loves and reactions were over 1,300 It was absolutely crazy. I put my beautiful chocolate Santa in the kitchen with some of his brothers and he seems very happy. My last article was read by the host of a podcast at Point Park University and myself and Wali Jamal, who portrays Santa this year in Market Square, were invited on to talk about Black Santa’s. Who knew that a column and a picture would generate so much conversation?
Merry Christmas everyone!
Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com
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