New Mexico Teacher On Leave After Telling Student That Santa Is White, Spurring Controversy [VIDEO]

Christmas is a time of passing on the holiday spirit and being kind to one another, but a raging debate online about the race of one of Christmas' biggest players is leaving a sour taste after. The ethnic race of Santa Clause is becoming a hot-button topic amongst people on the Internet, with some advocating that his race is whatever you want it to be and others are, controversially, saying Santa's race is fixed: he's white.

This week, a high school teacher from Rio Rancho, N.M., is making headlines for telling an African-American high school student that he had to take off his Santa Clause hat and beard at a holiday party because Santa is meant to be white. The teacher, whose identity has yet to be revealed, was reportedly placed on administrative leave on Monday after telling the ninth-grade student, Christopher Rougier, to remove his costume at a holiday party. The student's father, Michael Rougier, told ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV that his son was embarrassed and so ashamed that he does not want to touch Christmas decorations.

The contention behind Santa's race began last week when Fox News' Megyn Kelly stated that Santa is white and in turn, created a national debate on the color of Santa's skin. "It's ridiculous," Kelly said. "Yet another person claiming it's racist to have a white Santa. By the way, for all the kids watching at home, Santa just is white." The butt of many late-night jokes, Kelly has attempted to set the record straight, explaining that the comment she made was a joke and in response to a Slate magazine column calling to give Santa Clause a makeover.

The column by Slate magazine, written by culture blogger Aisha Harris, narrates the childhood of the author, who encountered two different looking Santas. "Seeing two different Santas was bewildering," wrote Harris. "Eventually I asked my father what Santa really looked like. Was he brown, like us? Or was he really a white guy? My father replied that Santa was every color. Whatever house he visited, jolly old St. Nicholas magically turned into the likeness of the family that lived there."

Harris' father's description of Santa is a beautiful one that embodies the inclusiveness of the holiday spirit, but unfortunately it is not one that many people agree with. The idea that Santa Clause has to be a fixed race is absurd, as he -- spoiler alert! -- is, simply put, not real. Santa Clause is a symbol of Christmas and as such, the shape (or in this case, the color) of Santa is one that can, and should be, one that is not rigid. This is especially true if you consider how the story, image and tradition behind Santa Clause varies from country to country -- in Brazil, Santa is called Papai Noel and he arrives via helicopter; in France, Santa is called Pere Noel and he has a sidekick named Le Pere Fouettard who punishes children who have been bad; and in Iceland, there are 13 Santa figures.

And yes, one can argue that St. Nicholas was Caucasian, but the variation of St. Nick that we now know is one that is very different from the man in 280 A.D. that gave food and presents to impoverished and suffering children. The story was meant to inspire people to be generous and follow his footsteps, and that is a universal goal that applies to everyone regardless of race and religion. While the image of Santa Clause is rooted in Christianity -- St. Nicholas was a young bishop -- it has since evolved, as Santa Clause is pictured as an older rotund Caucasian man in the North Pole. As such, it seems absurd for one to argue that Santa must be white and even more absurd that an educator in the United States would have the audacity to reprimand a student for wearing a Santa costume. St. Nicholas would be ashamed.