Sorry, Megyn Kelly. Nelson Mandela Was Santa Claus

[highplainsdem]

From Michael Daly at The Daily Beast:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/13/sorry-megyn-kelly-nelson-mandela-was-santa-claus.html

When television twit Megyn Kelly declared that Santa Claus is white, she overlooked one of the many awards bestowed on Nelson Mandela in the years before his death.

That particular honor was being named the first International Santa Claus of the Year, bestowed on him 1995 by the leader of Greenland for his efforts on behalf of children.

“It is a great honor for me, as the first representative of the real Santa Claus, who we all know lives on the icecap in Greenland, to present this award to the southern part of this planet,” Greenland Prime Minister Lars Emil Johansen said when he announced the honor.

Johansen then unveiled a full-size statue of Mandela, minus a white beard but clad in the traditional red and white Santa Claus getup. The real-life Mandela already had a twinkle in his eye.

-snip-

After 27 years in prison, Mandela was freed. The same Christmas that the folks up by the North Pole declared him International Santa Claus of the Year, he began an annual ritual of personally distributing presents to children in his home village of Qunu. The number of kids grew every year, to 2,000 or more, likely a record for a Santa Claus of any persuasion.

-snip-

Editing to add a link to the 1995 Chicago Tribune story about the award:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-12-04/news/9512050017_1_mandela-greenland-prize-money

[highplainsdem]

1. kick

[underpants]

2. Ha ha ha that is classic

Thanks for finding that