An Australian film-maker has followed three new Santas – one trans, one black and one disabled – as they learn the ropes, while their fellow Father Christmases adapt to the times
hat do you call a fear of Santa Claus? Claus-tro-phobia. I can’t take credit for that corker – it’s from a SpongeBob SquarePants episode, and it’s also delivered by Alexann in the newMax documentary, Santa Camp. Alexann is a kid who’s turned up to a church in Chicago to meet “Trans Santa”. Unfortunately, so have a handful of Proud Boys and other protesters, who hold “SAVE SANTA” signs while shouting that Trans Santa is “destroying America”.
Much of the action in the documentary takes place at Santa Camp, a “school for Santa, Mrs Claus and the Elves” run by the New England Santa Academy and held at a forest-ringed conference centre in New Hampshire. Australian film-maker Sweeney stumbled across the camp online and was instantly attracted to the idea.
At the camp, the majority of attenders still look like Grateful Dead and Eagles aficionados, with snowy white beards decades in the making. “Santa Claus is just an idea,” the camp’s founder, Dan Greenleaf, points out – and an idea hugely influenced by Coca-Cola at that. He’s keen to move with the times.
Levi and Heidi will reprise their roles for the fourth year this Christmas. They have collaborated on a children’s book,“We have no interest in being ‘professional’ Clauses for pay,” Heidi says. “We only do volunteer events for LGBTQ+ youth in partnership with established community-based organisations.”Photograph: John Tully
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