Posten, the Norwegian Postal Service, is imagining a world where Santa Claus is gay and in love. The company’s new official Christmas ad presents a love story between Santa and one of his present-receivers.
Santa goes gay in “When Harry Met Santa:” the recently released Christmas ad of Postal, Norway’s postal service, shows a man’s instant connection with Santa and how their relationship develops throughout the years.
One year, eager to take the next step, Harry writes a letter addressed to the North Pole. “All I want for Christmas is you,” he writes, borrowing the wise words from Mariah Carey’s holiday megahit.
After arranging extra help from his elves, Saint Nick finally takes some time off from his busy gift-giving schedule so he can be with Harry. At the end of the ad, the two share a kiss.
“In 2022, it will be 50 years since it became legal to love whomever you want in Norway,” a caption at the end of the ad reads.
Norwegian LGBTQ rights activists applauded Posten’s message.
“For many of us, Christmas is a time we spend with those we love, and it’s nice to see the Norway Post show that love belongs to everyone, regardless of orientation, age, or whether you live at the North Pole,” Oda Rygh of Norwegian LGBTQ organization FRI told the marketing news site Kampanje.
“It has been a dark year for everyone – A global pandemic, code red for our planet, refugee crisis and more,” Monica Solberg, Posten’s marketing director, told LGBTQ Nation. “Perhaps what we need this year is a warm and heartfelt love story? A celebration of the fact that we can love whomever we want in Norway, despite everything bad that happens around the world.”
The Cast of When Harry Met Santa
The ad was directed by Sacarias Kiusalaas, with actors Johan Ehn as Harry and Terje Strømdahl as Santa.
Strømdahl started as a TV host and became a published author and a respectable theater actor. In recent years he has been using his voice to record audio books and a selection of radio productions.
Ehn is an actor, author, playwright, set designer (and also a baker) who currently lives in Sweden. According to the internet, he’s also gay in real life.