If you thought the Mall of America’s African-American Santa Claus pushed the envelope, perhaps you haven’t met the jolly elf’s life partner.
In the new children’s book “Santa’s Husband,” author Daniel Kibblesmith depicts Kris Kringle as a black, gay man in an interracial relationship with someone named David.
“This is new,” quipped host Victor Blackwell as he welcomed Kibblesmith and illustrator A.P. Quach on the set of CNN’s “New Day” on Sunday.
Kibblesmith — a writer for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” — said that as a professional comedy writer, he wanted to poke fun at the oft-discussed “war on Christmas.”
“It was sort of inspired by the annual tradition we have in this country of pretending that there’s a giant war on Christmas, and that traditional Christmas is under attack,” said Kibblesmith.
“We were reading all of the news about Mall of America hiring a black Santa Claus last year and me and my now wife made a joke on Twitter that if we ever had a child they would only know about black Santa Claus and if they saw a white Santa Claus at the mall we would just explain ‘Well, that’s his husband,’” he added.
The actual book describes how David helps his husband get ready for the big day.
“In the weeks before Christmas, Santa’s husband helps with all the pre-Christmas work, from double-checking lists, to feeding the reindeer (organic gluten-free grains, of course), to negotiating labor disputes with the restive workshop elves,” reads an Amazon synopsis.
“At the height of toy-making season, he even fills in for his busy hubby at the mall to ensure every child can meet the Big Guy in the red suit, and give him their wish list.”
The book is suggested for kids between ages 4 and 8, according to the website.