Mall of America welcomes its first black Santa Claus

Mall of America welcomes its first black Santa Claus since it opened. It’s that time of year when children line up in malls across the country for their chance to have a picture taken on Santa Claus’s lap and divulge their deepest Christmas wishes.It’s a longstanding American tradition, and this year, families that make the yuletide pilgrimage to the nation’s largest mall will be greeted by its first African-American Santa.
“This is a long time coming,” Landon Luther told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Luther is the co-owner of the Santa Experience, a photo studio that, for the past 10 years, has offered families the chance to skip the line at the Mall of America’s standard, come-one-come-all Santa meet-and-greet and make an appointment with the jolly old elf by purchasing a photo package.
“We want Santa to be for everyone, period,” Luther said. So this spring, he set out on a nationwide search for a Kris Kringle of color.