Santa Camp movie’s cast includes a Black Santa, a Trans Santa, and a Santa with spina bifida. They gather in New England to share their experiences with other professional Santa Clauses.
Santa Camp is an HBO Max documentary rather than an actual scripted movie. It follows the New England Santa Society’s annual camping in New England where hundreds of professional Santa Clauses and public speakers gather to learn tricks and tips on portraying Santa Clauses during the holiday season according to Variety. They also invite a few new Santa Clauses apart from their regular members.
This season, Santa Camp aims to tackle much more sensitive issues. They gathered together to tackle the lack of diversity in the Santa Clause industry which has been going on for years now according to Movie Insider. Representing different walks of life are a Trans Santa, a Santa with a disability, and the first-ever Black Santa joining the camp.
The documentary is set to release on November 17, 2022, only on HBO Max.
Santa Camp Movie Features A Black Santa
HBO Max documentary Santa Camp features a Black Santa.
While it sounds unconventional but the documentary Santa Camp follows the professional Santa Clause performers’ society New England Santa Society as they address the issue of lack of diversity in the Santa Clause industry.
Among the attendees of the camp is Chris Kennedy aka Black Santa according to Variety. Everything started for him after he bought an inflatable Black Santa figure for his daughter at Christmas last year and put the inflatable in his backyard. Chris just wanted his daughter to learn more about representation.
However, soon he received a threatening and racist note in his mailbox. The letter was signed by Santa and said awful things about Chirs and his inflatable Santa figure. His neighbors who did not know him much stood with him and soon the whole neighborhood was filled with inflatable Black Santa figures, giving him strength.
Since then, Kennedy is determined to become a Santa Clause for his neighborhood challenging popular belief. He recently attended Santa Clause performers’ society New England Santa Society’s annual summer Santa Camp and his experience in the Camp has been made into a documentary for HBO Max titled Santa Camp.
Chris is the first Black Santa to attend the camp according to Variety, but he is not the only one attending the camp in favor of ending the hundreds of years of lack of representation in the industry. One Trans Santa and one Santa with a disability also attended the camp.
Santa Camp Trailer Breakdown
Santa Camp trailer shows attendees of the camp left in tears after an emotional speech by Black Santa.
In the official trailer of Santa Camp by HBO Max, we see different types of Santas. They come from all races and backgrounds but some people apparently have problems with the idea of Santa Clause not being a white person with a particular appearance.
One of the Santa Clauses from the camp is heard saying, it does not matter if a Santa is black, white, Jew, or from a particular background as God never created the junk that we believe today. However, some people can be heard speaking against the diversity of Santa. In fact, things get a little out of hand after a church sticks posters of a Trans Santa. People can be heard saying the church has been infected and others saying it would steal and destroy somebody’s (Santa’s) identity.
In addition to the trailer, HBO Max released a video clip of Black Santa’s emotional speech. In the speech, Black Santa aka Chris Kennedy shares his heard sharing his experience after putting up a Black Santa inflatable figure in his backyard and reads the hate note he received. The hate note said him to live with his people and he looked like a fool for doing such activity. Chris burns the letter in front of all other Santas leaving them in tears, partially with his speech and partially with the content of the letter.