Lainie Sakakura, a Japanese-American dancer, is this year’s Mrs. Claus. (Photo credit: Roy Rochlin/NBC)
The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has made history once again, thanks to Mrs. Claus.
The parade, which was heavily celebrated this year by audience members who appreciated the millennial-coded, diverse middle-finger our current government, capped off its delightful “f— you” with an East Asian Mrs. Claus. This moment marks the third time a woman of color has played Mrs. Claus.
Who is this year’s Mrs. Claus?
I did some deep diving to figure out who the latest Mrs. Claus was, and turns out, she was a former history-making Rockette!
Eric Quang Gelb, part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade producing team, posted on Threads how he made it his mission to cast Lainie Sakakura, the second Asian dancer to become a Rockette. As he wrote in part on Threads and Instagram:
In 1994, @lainiesaka made history as the second EVER AAPI Rockette. She is a mentor from afar – a creative director, who, like me, demands excellence. She literally paved the way for directors like me. 30 years later, I was insistent on closing that iconic loop. Though Lainie wasn’t there to see it, I know she would be proud of a historic first. Rockettes kicked, and revealed up on Santa’s Sleigh was Mrs. Claus – but this year, she was a stunning example of ASIAN EXCELLENCE! I could sit here all day and tell you as a show director how we storyline about the Clauses, how their magical and transcendent nature allows them to present in many ways to reach all hearts and minds – but I won’t. I’ll ask you to turn to the 3.5 million wide eyes and cheers as she passes down the route.
Sakakura also wrote about her time as Mrs. Claus on Instagram, calling it a “beautiful, proud day to be the first AANHPI Mrs. Claus for the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with SANTA!”
Along with photos and video, she also posted some information that answered my other burning question: why are all of the Mrs. Clauses different?
Magical Mrs. Clauses
Lainie Sakakura, Liza Colón-Zayas and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Mrs. Claus. (Photo credit: Eric Quang Gelb/Threads, NBC)
For the past three years, Macy’s has hired women of color to play Mrs. Claus in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. TV, film, and Broadway legend Sheryl Lee Ralph became the first celebrity and first Black Mrs. Claus in 2023. The following year, actress and playwright Liza Colón-Zayas took up the Mrs. Claus mantle.
So why is Mrs. Claus different each year? Sakakura wrote in her Instagram post how Mrs. Claus can look however she wants.
Why does Mrs Claus look different? All the Mrs C’s of the world are the same; it’s magic. Magical beings have the ability to be anything, anywhere, at anytime. They can speak in any language, adapt and look like any culture and every ethnicity. Children see the magic and the more they see themselves in these moments, the better. I had a very long conversation with one of my sweet, blonde, child helpers. She didn’t ask why my face was Asian. She wanted to know if Santa brought home some of the cookies and if children wrote me letters too!
Technically, Santa Claus can shapeshift, too, because he’s also magical. But as we have seen, the parade Santa is usually white. I searched high and low to find out why it’s become a recent tradition to change Mrs. Claus while Santa remains the same. Maybe it’s because a white Santa is the “traditional” look for Santa. However, Macy’s does have different Santas in their flagship New York City store.
Special Santas
CNN wrote about Macy’s special Santa in 2013, citing the blog Animal New York. According to the article, Macy’s has a Black Santa. In fact, they have three Santas — a White Santa, a Black Santa, and a “Spanish-speaking Santa,” according to Macy’s (I don’t know why the Spanish-speaking one isn’t listed as “Latino,” but oh well).
However, each Santa is in his own room — I presume to preserve the mystery and sanctity of Santa’s image. As the article states, “Presumably, the Santas are hidden in separate areas so that no child sees more than one.”
Macy’s decision not to publicize the different Santas earned mixed reactions. One customer, Harold Buisson, said he thought it was “kind of ridiculous.”
“It just adds more division in my mind because if you just put them all out in the same place, then it would just be a choice of whoever walks up as opposed to a form of segregation, which is the way it seems like.”
Another, Elizabeth Kittles, who brought her sons to meet the Black Santa, said, “I could have gone anywhere, but I came right here to Macy’s because I knew they had an African-American Santa.”
The official word from Macy’s came from its vice president of media relations, Elina Kazan.
“At Macy’s, we have upheld the tradition and believe in our hearts that there is only one Santa Claus, and that Santa is all things to all people who believe in the spirit and goodness of Santa.”
I suppose that means that having all three Santas in public would ruin the mystique of the “only one Santa” idea. But it’s also easy to see how having each Santa in his own room could seem like segregation.
An African-American Santa hugs a young Black child. (Photo: CNN)
While keeping the Santas separate seems weird, Macy’s is adamant about preserving the spirit of a “one Santa” world. According to Macy’s, the company believes “in the magic of Santa,” adding that for decades it has given customers the chance to meet one of the three Santas “with the goal of offering a more personalized meeting for our customers.”
I don’t know if the process for seeing Santa has changed since 2013 — at the time, it seemed like everyone stood in one line and you made your request when it was your turn. But now, on the Macy’s page to make your Santa reservation, you can select your preference as you make your online reservation.
Representation as American as apple pie
Macy’s attempts at inclusion might not be perfect, but their efforts are highly appreciated. Social media lit up with the presence of Mrs. Claus and the other acts who performed earlier in the parade. From Native American dancing to performances by the casts of Ragtime, Buena Vista Social Club, and K-Pop Demon Hunters, viewers appreciated the embrace of diversity and inclusion at an event celebrating the best of America. That focus on diversity is significant on a day like Thanksgiving, which has a horrid past buttressed by white supremacist myths and talking points.
But this focus on diversity was baked into the parade from the very beginning. As ChipAway Productions states, the parade was created in 1924 by the European immigrants who worked at Macy’s. The parade “was a celebration of the Christmas season rooted in the traditional festivals of their homelands.” The parade itself is a result of America’s melting pot rising to the occasion of celebrating togetherness.
While there will always be those who feel like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is “going woke,” its focus on representing its viewers reminds us what makes America truly great.
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