Telling young children that Santa isn't real is a parental ritual usually handled with painstaking care. However, for students at an elementary school in Hampshire, UK, their childhood wonder was torn to shreds after a vicar told pupils that the bearded gift-bearer wasn't real. Tearful youngsters, angry parents, and claims of a “ruined Christmas” followed Rev. Paul Chamberlain’s visit to the school. He was there to speak to a religious education class about the birth of Jesus, but the scope of his talk soon broadened. He told the students — who were between 10 and 11 — that Father Christmas wasn’t real, prompting the students to get upset. He also said that their parents bought their presents and ate the cookies left out for Santa. Rev. Chamberlain quickly realized he had made an error of judgment and apologized to the school, the parents and the children. Still, the parents say that it wasn't his job to reveal that kind of sensitive news and are now trying to figure out how to make up for their children's disappointment.
