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Brighton and Hove Museums has sparked outrage by claiming Father Christmas is "too white" and his traditional naughty and nice list promotes colonial attitudes, urging parents to "decolonise" the festive figure. The publicly funded institution argued that the story of a "white, Western Santa" judging children worldwide reinforces "colonial assumptions of cultural superiority".

The post, titled "Decolonising Father Christmas", stated: "The tale of a white, Western Santa who judges all children's behaviour has problems." It questioned how Santa could fairly assess "Indigenous children practising their own cultural traditions", describing him as the "ultimate authority of all societies".

The museum suggested ditching the naughty/nice "Western binary" in favour of stories emphasising "cultural exchange rather than assessment". Recommendations included portraying Santa learning about diverse traditions, including global workers in his workshop, and having him toil alongside elves as equals.

To combat patriarchy, it proposed introducing "Mother Christmas" or multiple Santas from different regions. "Patriarchy and colonialism went hand in hand," the post read. "Show the next generation that men don't have to be in charge."

Critics swiftly condemned the intervention as absurd and joy-killing. Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, branded the museum "po-faced". He told The Telegraph: "I don't think children in non-Christian countries are going to object when Santa pops down their chimney to give them a present.

"Is this museum suggesting they should leave a note saying 'sorry, but this is a decolonised fireplace and white supremacists dressed in red aren't welcome'? If so, it should rename itself the Right On and Po-Faced Museum."

Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, director of Don't Divide Us, called the idea "laughable".

She said: "It also shows that there are no limits to what ideologues in cultural institutions will go to in seeking to rupture our sense of belonging to a common past and culture.

"This playing at faux radical, anti-West politics by museums is boring, tedious and intellectually vacuous. This isn't culture, it's playpen politics which should not be getting public funding...The museum could get Grinch of the Year award, though."

Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin, representing Runcorn and Helsby, also slammed the blog in a social media post on December 21, linking it to broader "woke" controversies.

She wrote: "There are parts of the establishment in this country whom I genuinely believe are mentally unwell. Father Christmas is too white? Jingle Bells is racist? Do They Know It's Christmas is accused of pushing African stereotypes? The Wokerati are becoming more deranged and detached from reality by the day."

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove Museums defended the blog, saying it was intended to "prompt reflection rather than prescribe how anyone should celebrate Christmas". They added: "This blog post was written in 2023 as part of our Culture Change work.

"As museum educators, our role is not to tell people what is right or wrong, but to help audiences look at history and culture from more than one point of view... Encouraging curiosity, critical thinking and conversation is a core part of museum education. People are free to agree or disagree."

The controversy erupted days before Christmas, with the original post dating back two years but gaining fresh attention as this year's festivities approached.