A vicar has been forced to apologise after telling primary school children Father Christmas isn’t real and ‘ruining the magic’.
Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain told year six pupils at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School in Hampshire their parents bought their Christmas presents and ate the biscuits left out for Santa.
The school has apologised after parents complained their children were left in tears, with one saying ‘it can’t bring the magic back’.
They told The Times: ‘I don’t know how it can be undone, but I think it’s absolutely disgusting.
‘It’s been difficult, really difficult because she’s a very bright little girl. So we’re just going to try and just push as much magic into this as we can.’
The vicar explained to pupils how the things Santa likes is actually what the children’s parents likes.
A ten-year old pupil said: ‘Someone said Father Christmas likes cookies. Then [Rev Dr Chamberlain] said, “do your parents like cookies?’ And a lot of them said, ‘yeah’.
‘And then he said how the parents were the ones that were eating it.’
A parent added: ‘Lots of children started crying in class. Mine was upset but she still believes so I’m quite lucky she’s still not believing him and she thinks he’s lost the plot.
‘I think it’s wrong, but a lot of parents have had to confess to their child.’
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Portsmouth said: ‘We understand that the vicar of St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent, the Rev Paul Chamberlain, was leading an RE lesson for ten and eleven-year-olds at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School.
‘After talking about the Nativity story from the Bible, he made some comments about the existence of Father Christmas.
‘Paul has accepted that this was an error of judgment and he should not have done so.
‘He apologised unreservedly to the school, to the parents and to the children, and the headteacher immediately wrote to all parents to explain this.
‘The school and diocese have worked together to address this issue, and the headteacher has now written to parents a second time, sending them Paul’s apology.’
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