Mall Santa Fired For Making Little Boy Cry After Refusing To Bring Him A Nerf Gun For Christmas
A mall Santa's personal beliefs have no right to dictate a child's Christmas list.
Beate Wolter, Ljupco Smokovski / Shutterstock “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…” and he just might crush your dreams by refusing to bring you the present that’s at the top of your wishlist.
One mall Santa Claus faced backlash after a little boy told him exactly what he wanted for Christmas, and St. Nick wasted no time telling him that the gift would not be underneath the tree this year.
The mall Santa refused to honor the little boy’s wish to bring him a Nerf gun for Christmas.
On December 5, 2020, four-year-old Micheal Decarlo from Norridge, Illinois took a trip to the mall with his parents and sister to meet Santa Claus and tell him what he wanted for Christmas.
In a video recorded by his father, little Micheal sat across from Santa, who was working on his list. When Santa asked Micheal what he wanted for Christmas, the little boy thought for a moment before responding, “A Nerf gun!”
Nobody could have expected what Santa Claus said next.
“No guns,” he told Micheal. When Micheal’s mother clarified to Santa that her son wanted a toy Nerf gun, not an actual deadly weapon, Santa still refused. “Not even a Nerf gun,” he said. “If your Dad wants to get it for you that’s fine, but I can’t bring it to you.”
Instead, he asked Micheal if there was anything else on his Christmas wish list, such as LEGO bricks or bicycles. At this, Micheal looked over his shoulder to his mother with a heartbroken look on his face, before breaking down into tears.
His mom knelt to comfort him, assuring her son that despite what Santa said, he would still be getting the Nerf gun he wanted for Christmas.
The video was originally posted to Micheal’s mother's Facebook, where it garnered over a million views.
“My poor baby,” she wrote in the post which has since been deleted. “This was the first year Michael was excited to go see Santa. It was supposed to be magical but instead, I had to watch my sweet little boy fight back tears because Santa told him 'no' because of his own personal beliefs.”
The video soon gained national attention, and many people believed that it was time to put the mall Santa on the naughty list.
“This is the first time I've ever wanted to kick Santa's [expletive],” one person commented. “All he literally had to do as Santa is say "Sure kid, I'll get you a Nerf gun!" since he doesn't actually have to buy one. Instead, he made a kid cry,” another person wrote. “I don’t care if the kid asks for a giraffe, you say you’ll bring it. You’re a mall Santa,” a third user noted.
The mall Santa was later fired from his position following the public backlash.
Thankfully, Micheal did end up getting the Nerf gun he wanted from Santa Claus, who arrived at his doorstep with a much different attitude.
“We made a mistake yesterday. We’re so sorry!” a new Santa sent from the National Rifle Association told the little boy, before handing him a wrapped gift box that contained the Nerf gun he asked for.
“This is crazy!” Micheal excitedly proclaimed upon seeing his new toy for the first time.
While everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs regarding guns — and toy guns — no one, not even Santa Claus, should bring a child to tears over a gift on their wishlist.
You do not have to have Nerf guns in your house if you feel strongly about them, however, you cannot dictate whether or not other people should — even if you are dressed in a Santa suit. If you disagree, you simply wish them a happy holiday and move on with your life.
Hopefully, Micheal is enjoying his new gifts that are greatly deserved!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.