With a name like Chris Christmas, it is no wonder that this Colorado native is a man of faith and principle, who was raised in a home that fostered children and is a national spokesperson for foster care. Christmas also tends to give more than he receives, and is the luxury brand designer and chief creative officer of the Chris Christmas line of jewelry and accessories sold locally, nationally and internationally.

Adopted at the age of 2 by Gerald and Joan Christmas, the life of Christopher Carlton Christmas was shaped by his choices while growing up. His parents ran a foster some in Adams County, have always been active in their church, and dedicated their lives as advocates for child welfare. 

Until he left their Northglenn home at around 16 or 17, Christmas helped his parents raise foster kids. His life consisted of giving to kids who showed up in his room when his parents took them in. His situation developed his intellect and diplomacy skills.

“Being a thinking person is the only way to survive. Emotions will get you killed; they’ll get you arrested; they will cause you to do damage; they will lead you to an early grave. I’ve seen it happen time after time,” said Christmas.

He was exposed to kids who were molested and abandoned, and whose parents were imprisoned. He learned from his parents about the major sacrifice of loving and raising someone else’s child – it took love beyond love.

He was a biracial (African American and Jewish) kid living in a predominately white neighborhood. Young Christmas found friends of color in the community, including children raised by Mexican American boxer, poet and political activist Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales and the sons of Odell Barry, a former Denver Bronco and a former Northglenn mayor. Christmas spent summers in Harlem with his adoptive grandparents, George and Brenda Smith, whose fashion sense stayed with him.

Although he did not like violence, he was surrounded by it in the ‘70s and ‘80s. House parties progressed from fights to people getting shot. Gangs invaded parties and neighborhoods, cousins were killing cousins, and people were killed during funerals. 

“The institution of the gang and the gang culture like in Los Angeles that has occurred for generations, and is now here in Denver, has been a damaging, damaging, damaging blow to the community, beyond comprehension,” said Christmas. 

Despite this environment, his parents exposed him to a great education. He graduated from Northglenn High School, where he played basketball and football. 

His family, friends, teachers and physicians gave him the attention he needed to succeed and inspired him by example. Barry inspired Christmas to have dreams of becoming a leader someday. Barry’s life experiences gave the young man hope that with focus and discipline he too would have a chance to become successful. He was thankful that his adopted mother and father gave him the opportunity to have one home, rather than multiple homes. 

In 1986, while pursuing an engineering degree at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Christmas was arrested and put on probation for forgery. This scary time caused by a brief error in judgment could have had terrible effects on his life. He saw the underbelly of society and did everything in his power to not be a part of it. 

In that same year, Christmas realized the differences between him and others were nothing more than the choices they made. During a summer Pro-Am basketball camp, Christmas met Jeff Penix, a basketball player from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Christmas gave up his pursuit of an engineering degree to become a business partner designing sportswear with Penix, a choice which eventually led him to his current notoriety.

Designs For Success

These days, Chris Christmas has become an incredibly successful fashion entrepreneur with an ever-increasing range of apparel and jewelry designs. He is recognized often in newspapers and by major organizations. Also a married father of three, Christmas credits Shawisha, his wife of 15 years, for the balance within his life. 

Recently, Christmas became a mentor for Operation Head 2 Toe, a career awareness and training program sponsored by the national Casey Family Programs. With fellow designer and foster care alumnus Tony Shellman, Christmas will teach design, sales and marketing, development, licensing and branding, and strategic planning to 15 foster youth from Las Vegas for six months.

Christmas is also focusing on the April 2009 launch of his Luxury for Change Campaign entitled Think Blue, in partnership with Hyde Park jewelers in Cherry Creek and The Kempe Foundation, a Denver-based organization advancing the protection and treatment of abused children. For Think Blue, Christmas created a line of high-tech ceramic jewelry that highlights the lifetime contributions of Miles Davis and is meant to illuminate the issues surrounding child abuse. 

Christmas’ life is full of international travel, where he is comfortable being in a room full of multiracial people and does not allow himself to change because of it. Through his failures in his life, he learned to move past things that could affect him due to his racial background, economic class, or lack of financing. He learned he can change himself and his circumstances. 

“There will always be something in front of you that says ‘You can’t do it.’ And if you ever believe that, then you’ve already lost. But if you believe that you can go around, move, or jump over whatever is in front of you, then success can be yours,” said Christmas. 

He credited his business success to being Jewish and the doctrine of Judaism. He feels the African-American community could learn from the Jewish community. 

African Americans have accused him of being white due to his success, his intellectual talk, having light-colored eyes, and dating a white girl. He views such reactions as pure ignorance, and just some people’s way to discount his success. Yet, racism within his own culture is painful for him to experience. He has never accepted racial identification, nor does he teach his kids about race. 

“Kids don’t need to look at the world in a racial way, in terms of black and white. Parents who put that into their kids is one of the reasons why racism exists today, and why it will be perpetuated,” said Christmas.  “Kids will discover it themselves and we must let them figure it out themselves; we should not put it in them. Race is different for everyone, and since my parents didn’t dictate it to me, I will not dictate what it is to my kids.”

Having met U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama, Christmas feels a biracial affinity towards him and understands the pain that can come from being biracial and having power. Christmas was in Chicago for Obama’s election night acceptance speech, and felt like he was walking to heaven, looking at the miles and miles of multicultural people walking in the street. He felt that Obama contributed to the elimination of racial prejudice, based upon all who gathered to see him.

“I was motivated for the rest of my life because of what I saw,” said Christmas.

To him, as a man of faith “who serves a God who is an able God and does not let anyone or anything worry him,” Christmas saw the scene at Obama’s speech in Chicago as an example of God’s work. 

“God can do anything if you let Him, if you accept His will,” said Christmas. 

As he told a crowd of 8,000 during a speech at the Oakwood University graduation in Huntsville, Ala. this year, Christmas also believes you must find a purpose and live a purposeful life,

If not, “You’ll live through dogma and continually do the same thing over and over again, and never learn or gain anything and be easily influenced,” he said. 

He views himself as a product of people doing the right thing. He sees the extenuating circumstances in his life, though not being the best, as strategic.

“It’s really important to teach your kids to be cultured. We don’t live in a white or Black culture; we live in a country of culture. Culture is the essence of lifestyle, of community, of family, food, fashion. Without a comprehension of culture, not race, you will not be successful in the 21st Century. Without being bilingual or understanding it, without being culturally sensitive, success will not come. The next generation is the key to our success,” said Christmas.

Editor’s note:  LisaMarie Martinez is a writer, photographer, spoken word artist, and a master’s prepared nurse, who continually seeks to find the journey of herself in the situations a people that her life has to bring.

 

The Designing Career Of Chris Christmas

1990-92: Acquired a sportswear design contract with the University of Colorado at Boulder, Coach Bill McCartney and the CU Buffs. Designed the sports apparel for the University of Nevada in Las Vegas Rebels, winners of the 1990 NCAA Final Four in Denver. Designed the 1991 Orange Bowl outfits for the CU Buffs. Started a sports apparel line called 2Hype and acquired a license with the NFL, NBA, and the NCAA, in collaboration with Jeff Penix, Greg Anthony (a UNLV Rebel), and Tom Warren. Sold sports apparel in FootLocker.

1993-96: Managed the Shaquille O’Neal shoe line for Reebok.

1996: Acquired a license with the 1996 Summer Olympics and designed basketball and soccer jerseys. Featured in the fashion magazine The Delta Catalogue.

1997-2000: Partnered with Shaquille O’Neal to start an Internet company selling customized footwear and apparel called dunk.net.

2000-2002: Did freelance work within the design industry  

2002: Worked with the ad agency for Kmart called GlobalHue.  Created a fashion publication for Kmart called Urban Direct.  Created a clothing line for Kmart called Gear 7.

2004: Sold his Gear 7 clothing line to Kmart. Started designing jewelry for a Florida company.

2005: Appointed to CO Gov. Owens’ Branding Board and worked with Brian Vogt (then Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade) on the Advancing Colorado Initiative designing luxury sports apparel for the state.  Named designer of the year by Kmart.

2007: Developed CCC logo (representing Christopher Carlton Christmas) and brand, including bracelets, watches, pendants, chains, and accessories, which can be found at the Wynn Hotel, the Palm Hotel, and the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas as well as Hyde Park in Denver. Also see www.chrischristmas.com.

2008: Selected as official Democratic National Convention designer with his own Chris Christmas Colorado designs under which he designed the official Invesco Field Change shirt (featuring Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama). Named in May as a national spokesperson for foster care by the National Foster Care Month organization. Awarded the Chairman’s Award by the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce in October. Featured in the December issue of Harlem’s Uptown Magazine for his recent bracelet designs.