Bloomingdale’s green Santa has parents seeing red and kids ‘crying’

They are seeing red on Bloomies’ green Santa.

As part of a “holiday partnership” with the cinematic event Wicked, Santaland at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship has been “Oz-ified” to be more Emerald City than North Pole. There are pink Christmas trees, candy canes instead of canes, skinny-themed bracelets and St. Nick wears a green “not red” suit with detailed gold detailing.

For many people, Santa’s extreme makeover isn’t making the “cool list.”

“Just a heads up if your child is waiting for Santa in his traditional red and white suit, Bloomingdale’s is offering only green Santa. We left a little disappointed without a photo,” one rejected mom wrote in a local Facebook group last week. “I just wanted to share in case other people are thinking of taking their kids to see Santa and want a traditional photo.

Far away, Mr. Claus’s new look goes against the true spirit of Christmas and is especially bitter amid Wicked’s massive marketing campaign and a crushing tour that’s racking up its two stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivio.

“Leave Santa alone. Not everything needs to be changed or challenged,” Melanie, a mother of one on the Upper West Side, told The Post. There’s no reason to have a green Santa except to promote a movie in an already over-commercialized holiday. The green Santa is stupid… Hard pass.â€

Children are also struggling with change.

On Saturday’s “Wicked” Santaland, an emerald-clad elf admitted that babies take one look at Santa and start crying.

“I think it’s because he’s green,” the vacationing aide told The Post.

Six-year-old Jada Robinson was “very, very, very surprised” about the green Santa.

Red is “more Christmas,” the East Village first-grader said. (The Post has reached out to Bloomingdale’s for comment.)

One father said he considered telling his children about the color change ahead of time to prevent potential meltdowns.

“It might turn some kids away,” we told them in advance,” he said.

Santa Doug, Bloomingdale’s in-house Santa since 2019, was kept in the dark until the eleventh hour about his outfit change. It’s his first time not wearing his classic red suit, and he only learned about his outfit changes last month.

But he pointed out that it is mainly the parents, not the children, who miss the color red.

“It’s mostly adults who ask, ‘Why aren’t you in red, Santa?'” he said. His response is usually a wry laugh and a joke along the lines of, ‘Well, we’re in the Emerald City.’

Other Santas say they wouldn’t be so easy.

“I’m traditional and proud of it,” said Tim Connaghan, the 77-year-old founder of School4Santa who has played Father Christmas since he was 20 in Vietnam.

If asked to wear green, he said he would likely turn down the job.

“I’d leave it to another Santa,” he said. “I’m always in a red suit, except in my time.”

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