Republished December 02, 2016 - 7:14 AM
Original Publication Date December 02, 2016 - 5:05 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend.
The Star-Tribune reports The Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis hired Larry Jefferson to play Kris Kringle from Thursday to Sunday as part of its Santa Experience.
Santa Experience co-owner Landon Luther says they "want Santa to be for everyone, period." With that in mind, he tells the newspaper he launched a nationwide search for a diverse Santa and found Jefferson at a Santa convention in Branson, Missouri, over the summer. He was the only black Santa among the 1,000 impersonators in attendance.
Jefferson tells WCCO-TV that playing the jolly old elf is "no big deal" to him, saying "I'm still Santa, I just happen to be a Santa of colour."
Jefferson will return home to play Santa in the Dallas-area after Sunday.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016