PHOTO: Larry Jefferson AKA “Santa Larry” poses with actress/singer KeKe Palmer. | Courtesy photo
A history-making Santa Claus is planning an Arkadelphia visit ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Larry Jefferson — nationally known “Santa Larry” — has local ties. The Nashville, Arkansas, native and Henderson State University alumnus (1988) has, for the past quarter-century, donned the velvety red suit and spread holiday cheer around the globe.
He made history in 2016 as the first black Santa hired for appearances at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, in 2019.
Equipped with a naturally energetic personality, Santa Larry encapsulates the embodiment of Saint Nicholas. He bills himself as a Santa for all people, and he’s inviting the community into his Arkadelphia home for professional photos and visits on the weekend of Nov. 9-10, 2024, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. Santa’s Arkadelphia home is located at 2 Hillcrest Cove. Photo packages are $75 per family and include five professional portraits with Santa Larry.
Jefferson is among more than 100 professional Santas who have made the roster in the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame, sharing the honor with the likes of famed actor Mickey Rooney, who voiced Santa in the 1970 stop-motion special “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”.
Santa Larry has made appearances on the Steve Harvey Show, The Daily Show, CBS Sunday Morning Show, Good Morning America, The Reid Out with Joy Reid on MSNBC, and many other nationally known television and radio programs.
The U.S. Army veteran recently retired from the Texas Workforce Commission, and when he’s not busy spreading Christmas cheer he operates a virtual call center, helping people find employment. He calls Irving, Texas, his permanent home, which is decorated year-round for Christmas.
It all started on a whim, when Jefferson played the role of Santa for his three nephews. “I bought a $30 suit at Walmart,” he recalls. Still in the military at the time, he wasn’t allowed to grow facial hair (he now wears a thick, white beard). Yet Jefferson’s authenticity had the boys convinced that the real deal had paid them a special visit.
That experience grew into a side gig that would take Jefferson coast to coast as Santa Larry. Investing in a custom-made suit, Santa Larry spread cheer at homeless shelters and military installations. After that, “it just took off,” says Jefferson, who has made hundreds of appearances across the U.S. and in Kuwait.
His passion is taking pictures with people and creating Christmas magic and memories.
He has all the attributes required of Santa. “I have a loving, caring, gracious heart,” he says. “I love to put smiles on peoples’ faces, especially children and their parents.” As a Christian, Jefferson notes that the holiday isn’t about presents but rather “the gift you’ve already received: the love of Jesus Christ.”
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