By Tim Binnall
A man portraying Santa Claus at a Canadian mall was given the boot after he lost his cool when a youngster tugged on his beard. According to a local media report, the unfortunate incident occurred on Saturday at the Sherwood Park Mall near Edmonton. As the faux Saint Nick was holding court at the shopping center, taking pictures and chatting with children about what they wanted for Christmas, the normally routine holiday tradition took a troubling turn when a three-year-old boy landed in his lap.
During their meeting, the precocious youngster took hold of the performer's prodigious beard and gave it a mighty pull. Rather than take the tug in stride and display his jolly side, the Santa had a decidedly different reaction as he sternly slapped the boy's hand away from his face and subsequently scolded him. As one might imagine, the performer's actions landed him a spot on the mall's proverbial naughty list as the Grinch-in-disguise was promptly relieved of his duties with the shopping center issuing an apology for his "completely unacceptable" behavior.