‘Completely unacceptable’: Alberta mall Santa replaced after boy slapped

In the seminal Christmas movie, Miracle on 34th Street, when a young Susan Walker pulls on Santa’s beard, the magic of Christmas is revealed. But an Alberta mall Santa has discovered reality can be much different.

A mall Santa in Sherwood Park, Alta., has been relieved of his duties after he slapped a little boy’s hand when the child pulled his beard.

The mall, located in a hamlet east of Edmonton, says it sincerely apologizes to the boy and his family.

In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the mall called the incident “completely unacceptable” and confirmed the Santa involved had been removed from the program and would not be returning.

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“Ensuring that each child has a magical Christmas experience is of the utmost importance to us,” the mall said in the post.

Cherry Hill Programs, which vets, trains and provides Santas to hundreds of malls and venues across Canada, including Sherwood Park Mall, said in an email to The Canadian Press that it is aware of the situation and that “the Santa was replaced so families can continue to experience the magic of Christmas during the remaining days of the holiday season.”

– With files from the Canadian Press

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