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Black Santa visits Children’s Museum ahead of Christmas

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Santa is gearing up for his biggest job of the year: delivering gifts to kids around the globe. But he’ll be making a few more stops at the Children’s Museum before then.

Santa Claus is a staple of the Christmas season. And a message is growing that, just like the rest of us, Santa can come in different sizes and colors.

Santa spreads “spirit that is responsible for spreading magic and cheer to everyone,” said jolly old Saint Nicholas, who also goes by Antoine Demmings.

“This year you can probably give him snickerdoodles because those are his favorite,” said 6-year-old Miriam.

For more than a dozen years, the Children’s Museum has partnered with Black Santa, showing kids that Santa is just as diverse as the world around them.

“You can find comfort in the magic and you can use that as the reason why Santa can be anyone (or) anything just like you,” Demmings said.

Seeing Santa’s diversity is what brings Sasha Solinki and her daughter back year after year.

For her, growing up, Santa never looked like she did.

“Representation is everything, so to see someone who looks like her, it’s pretty exciting for me. It’s very important,” said Solinski.