Can Santa be black? North America's top Santa trainer says absolutely

At this time of year, thousands of children across North America are lining up for hours, just to get a chance to sit on Santa's knee.

A visit to Santa is always a highly-anticipated part of the holidays, but there is a lot of work that goes into doing the job correctly.

According to professional Santa trainer Tim Connaghan, it takes more than just a white beard and a red suit to bring the magic of the Christmas season to life. 

"A good Santa [is] able to bring across the magic, histories and legends that the children have learned about Santa," he tells Day 6 host, Brent Bambury.

But what does that job mean when Santa doesn't look the way some children might expect?

The conversation about diversity in the world of Santas was brought to the forefront this year when the Mall of America hired its first black professional Santa Claus. 

For some, the decision was long overdue, but the announcement was also met with some outrage and even calls for a boycott.

For Dion Sinclair, an African American Santa based in Atlanta, this kind of response was not surprising.

He says he has been in situations himself where children reacted negatively to the fact that Santa was black, but that usually stems from parental or social influence.

"Kids don't see colour," he said. "All they see is Santa Claus."