Old Navy Wants to Train Diverse Santas to Spread More Joy to Children Everywhere

A Christmas tradition as classic as presents under the tree, Santa Claus has typically been portrayed as a jolly old white guy with a matching white beard. But that portrayal doesn’t represent the many families around the world, and this year, Old Navy is helping everyone get in on the “all-iday” fun.

The company is launching its first-ever Santa BOOTcamp, allowing holiday lovers from far and wide to participate in a free virtual training course, so all Santas can spread joy in ways that feel unique and authentic to them this holiday season.

Hosted on Friday, November 19, the Old Navy Santa BOOTcamp is open to any and all registrants who would like to join the 30-minute virtual inclusive training program, with the company encouraging “participation from a broad array of backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultural heritages to offer more representation in the role of Santa,” in a press release.

Among the lessons slated for the digital course: the fundamentals of becoming Santa, including how to respond to kids’ frequently-asked Santa questions, key phrases in both sign language and Spanish, and tips for taking frame-worthy photos that families will cherish for years to come.

To create the informative course, Old Navy partnered with veteran Santa Timothy Connaghan, founder of the International University of Santa Claus and owner of one of the largest Santa booking agencies in the U.S. “It’s not the red suit or white hair and beard that create holiday magic, it’s what you have in your heart,” Connaghan in the press release. “A good Santa should spread joy and exude the holiday spirit, regardless of their appearance.”

Along with all the online excitement, the company will be casting a range of diverse Santas to appear in its flagship stores in New York City (Herald Square), San Francisco (Market Street), and Chicago (State Street) for socially-distant photo moments on Saturday, December 4.

“We have reimagined the holidays this year to celebrate the diversity of our customers through our ALL-iday campaign,” Old Navy’s SVP and CMO Jamie Gersch said in a statement. “Inclusivity is core to our Old Navy values and is represented in the products we create, how they come to life, the people we work with and how we run our business. We can’t wait to see and share our customers’ ALL-iday celebrations.”

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