Some of us were shaped on a yard, not just a campus. Our HBCU Christmas decor lets you carry that pride into the holidays with Black Santa Claus figurines dressed head to toe in the colors of Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, FAMU, NC A&T, Tuskegee and more. Each 12-inch Santa celebrates the school that raised you, the traditions you still sing and the family that walked the same halls, chosen by Black Art Depot, a family-owned African American art store serving our community since 2004.
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Why HBCUs Mean So Much to Us
For generations, historically Black colleges and universities opened doors the rest of the country kept closed. They are where our grandparents became teachers and preachers, where our parents met, and where so many of us first saw professors, doctors and leaders who looked like us. An HBCU is more than a degree. It is homecoming weekend, the band coming off the bus, the step show on the yard, the friends who became family and the confidence that you belong anywhere you walk in. That is why the love for your school does not fade after graduation. It shows up in the car tag, the sweatshirt, the way you still argue about the best band, and now, on the Christmas mantel.
A Brief History of HBCUs
The first HBCU, the Institute for Colored Youth, opened in 1837 in Pennsylvania and later became Cheyney University. Wilberforce University followed in Ohio in 1856, and most HBCUs were founded after the Civil War, when Black and white educators built schools to prepare newly freed people for citizenship, the classroom and the pulpit. The Morrill Act of 1890 brought federal support for land-grant institutions, and the Higher Education Act of 1965 formally defined an HBCU as an accredited school founded before 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. Today about 100 HBCUs make up roughly 3 percent of the nation's colleges, yet they have produced a remarkable share of the country's Black doctors, lawyers, judges, educators and public servants.
Santa in Your School Colors
Every figurine shows a Black Santa Claus with a sculpted brown face and full beard, dressed in his school's colors. The College Santa wears a coat in school colors with a toy sack bearing the school logo, and the Proud Santa wears a varsity-style sweater and raises a school pennant. Each arrives in a gift box with a display window, ready to wrap. Find your school:
Holiday Gifts for Students, Alumni and the Next Generation
An HBCU Santa is a Christmas gift that says I am proud of where you are going, or I remember where you came from. Customers give them to:
- A student home for winter break, as a reminder to finish strong next semester
- A young one still in high school, to keep their dream school on their mind all year
- New graduates, alumni and retirees who still bleed their school colors
- Families with two or three generations from the same alma mater
- Rivals in the same house, so every school gets its own spot on the mantel
Shopping for a couple? Pair the Spelman College and Morehouse College Santas for a SpelHouse display, especially fitting in 2026 as the Spelman and Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert marks its 100th year.
Christmas Decor That Tells Your Story
Store-bought decorations rarely say anything about who you are. An HBCU Santa on the mantel, the office desk or the entry table tells every holiday guest about the institution that developed you and the community that still holds you up. Build out the rest of your display with our Black Santa Claus figurines and decor, Black Santa ornaments and African American Christmas decorations, and send greetings with our African American Christmas cards. For year-round school pride, browse all of our HBCU gifts and collectibles.
Popular schools sell out before December, so use the In stock filter to see what is ready to ship. Don't see your school? Contact us and a real person from our team will help.
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