When Fred Carver Parker was a little boy growing up in Mississippi, his nickname was “Peter Rabbit.” As an adult living in New Orleans, Parker became known by two other nicknames: “Chocolate Santa” and “7th Ward Santa.”
For nearly 50 years, Black children in New Orleans had their picture taken with Chocolate Santa at Dennis Photofinish studio on N. Tonti Street at St. Bernard Avenue. He also visited schools, daycare centers, hospitals, markets, malls and Christmas holiday events for photo sessions. He even traveled to other cities, such as Baton Rouge.
“His everyday generosity, mirth and love for those around him made him something of a 365-days-a-year Santa,” Gambit stated in 2020, “beloved by New Orleans’ Black community and beyond.”
Born in 1942 in Lake, Miss., Parker moved to New Orleans in the mid-1960s after serving in the Army. He became a bus driver for the Orleans Parish School Board and drove a cab. He began his Santa stint in December 1971.
According to a 2019 Times-Picayne article, Parker started with dark hair and no beard. He eventually grew one and dyed it white to convince children that he was Santa. For those who still doubted, he would tell them to “pull this beard off my face.”
It took one pull for them to know he was real.
“I love bringing joy to people. That’s my job, (to) bring joy to the world as much as I can,” Parker told WWL-TV. “Kids come to me about where Santa comes from. I tell them Santa comes from the heart. It’s about love and joy.”
Parker was 78 when he died in August 2020.
According to Legacy.com, his “legendary deep voice, tall stature, smiling face, jolly laughter and love for children brought joy to many hearts and put smiles on many faces.”
For more tales from New Orleans history, visit the Back in the Day archives.