Secret Santas

I have two press photos in my collection that show the Jackson 5 dressed up in Santa suits, posing with Mary Wilson of the Supremes.



The caption on the back of the photos from Motown's publicity department indicate that they were taken at a party thrown by Motown on December 23, 1971, where the J5 and Mary Wilson passed out presents to 600 underprivileged children. Beyond that, I have only come across a couple of mentions of the event. The Los Angeles Times had some fun with it in a social news column:
There was a first-person report (as well as a third photo from the event) in the May 1972 issue of 16 magazine. I love the reference here to Michael's Santa belly. I had never before noticed that he was the only one who added the appropriate amount of stuffing.