Every kid that’s been led to believe Santa Claus is responsible for depositing Christmas presents under the tree will eventually discover they’ve been lied to. The parents who actually buy those gifts tend to be the people who break the news, and someone who decided to post the truth along a holiday parade route in Canada got a visit from the police after ruffling some feathers.
I can only assume every person reading this is aware that Santa Claus is not real, and if I am somehow responsible for letting you know that’s the case, I’m sincerely sorry that’s how you discovered the truth.
The origins of that fictional figure can be traced back to Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in what is now Turkey in the 4th century who purportedly had a penchant for secretly giving gifts to people in need.
The version of “Santa Claus” most people are familiar with today was an amalgamation of that holy figure and the English creation known as “Father Christmas,” and kids in America and beyond have spent centuries being told a jolly man in a red suit climbs down their chimney with presents whenever the end of December rolls around.
Most parents go to great lengths to make Christmas as magical as possible by convincing their children Santa Claus is real until they think they’re old enough to learn the truth, but maintaining that illusion is easier said than done.
That was especially true for some holiday revellers who headed to a Christmas parade in Canada where someone in a home along the route posted some major spoilers in their window, which sparked a flood of complaints that led to the police getting involved.
Police in Ontario paid a visit to someone who posted a bunch of signs about Santa not being real in the windows of a home overlooking a Christmas parade
On November 29th, the 49th annual Brantford Santa Claus Parade made its way through the streets of the city between Hamilton and London in Ontario.
An estimated 30,000 people flocked there for the festivities, and some of them were understandably less than thrilled to discover a house along the parade route had posted four signs to call attention to the fact that Santa isn’t real and the presents he’s supposedly responsible for are actually purchased by parents.
According to the CBC, the Brantford Police Service received a slew of complaints from people who voiced their displeasure with the signs, and officers were eventually dispatched to the house to have a conversation with the person responsible for putting them up.
A spokesperson for the department noted the signs were protected by free speech but nonetheless taken down after the visit, saying:
“An officer spoke with the individual responsible and the signs have since been removed.
While it isn’t illegal to be a ‘Grinch,’ we do encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of the season and help foster a positive, welcoming community, especially during events like the Santa Claus Parade.”
Santa may not be real, but that person still deserves some coal in their stocking.
