Christmas humbug arrested after telling children there is no Santa Claus

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Now please, don't call the cops.

The legend of Santa Claus received an unofficial vote of confidence by police in Kingston, Ont., who arrested a man after he told children St. Nick did not exist.

Kingston Police said the suspect, who had formed his hair into the shape of horns, had walked through the crowd at the city's Santa Claus parade last weekend and told children Santa was a fabrication, attempting to ruin the magic of the Christmas season for all the little girls and boys.

The man was arrested for, among other things, being drunk in public and causing a disturbance.

"It was pretty despicable that someone, during this time of the year, would tell kids Santa isn't real — which of course we would argue," Const. Steve Koopman told the Toronto Star.

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While having no holiday spirit isn't illegal, being a drunken jerk thankfully is against the law. And intentionally bothering people during a public gathering is also a no-no, even if you are not trying to ruin a beloved holiday.

Santa's existence has been the source of constant debate. Last year, a Chicago new anchor was forced to apologize after reporting the jolly old elf was not real during a discussion about shopping during the recession.

Santa has also been defended publicly, of course. NORAD, tasked with the sombre job of defending North America's airspace, spends the month of December tracking and reporting on Santa's trajectory and whereabouts. The military wing assumed the job after its phone number was incorrectly given out in a newspaper advertisement in the '50s.

The most famous public defense of Santa Claus came in an editorial published in New York's Sun in 1897 assuring Virginia O'Hanlon there was indeed a Santa Claus.

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Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus? About as dreary as that jail cell, buddy.