The ads, "Jingle Jammies" and "Color Explosion," feature Palmer in some standard seasonal fare—riding in sleighs, sliding down chimneys, always decked out in her holiday best. "Jingle Jammies" features Old Navy’s pajama sets throughout and nods in the direction of various cultures, including the tradition among many Jews and others of eating Chinese food on Christmas.
While almost half of U.S children under the age of 15 identify as non-white, only 5% of professional Santas across the country are people of color, preventing so many American children from seeing themselves and their communities reflected in the iconic role, according to Old Navy.
The retailer hopes to chip away at that gap by partnering with veteran Santa Timothy Connaghan, founder of School4Santas and owner of one of the largest Santa booking agencies in the U.S., to develop a bootcamp to get any and everyone in Santa-shape for the holidays. The campaign also features Dion Sinclair, known as "the real Black Santa," bilingual Santa Bob Torres, and Brian Butler, also known as "Soulful Santa."