"And May All Your Christmases Be [Woke]": Liberal Pundits Come For Santa And Other Holiday Traditions

Liberal commentators are targeting traditional Christmas figures and symbols, including Santa Claus. Aisha Harris suggested replacing Santa with a penguin to address concerns about "whiteness-as-default." A museum official, Simone LaCorbinière, argued Santa is "too white, male" and a colonizer of elves. She believes the traditional Santa story perpetuates colonial assumptions of cultural superiority. The museum advocates for decolonizing Christmas imagery to move away from "white, male and non-disabled" representations. Beyond Santa, NPR noted "White Christmas" has racist undertones. Joy Reid declared "Jingle Bells" a racist song. The film "It's a Wonderful Life" has also been criticized as a "bigoted" story promoting capitalist and racist values. Some on the left seem to find little joy in Christmas without identity politics and white guilt. However, many liberals still enjoy the holidays without these critical perspectives.