Mother claims that her daughter suffered from trauma from a “Bad Santa” who was found smoking out in the public, and was unable to speak during meet-and-greet with kids.
Charli, 26 years old, said she was feeling ‘letdown’ after the Christmas experience at Radcliffe Children’s Club in Greater Manchester. Little Layla had ‘a lot’ of questions.
She first noticed the man impersonating Father Christmas smoking a cigarette as she entered the venue.
The event organizer later asked Santa to go back to the ‘grotto’. She said that Santa looked confused and then replied that he did not know.
Charlie Lewis, 26, brought her six-year-old daughter Layla to see Santa Claus at the Radcliffe Girls and Boys Club
Layla eventually met Father Christmas.
She replied, “He just lay down on the couch.” He was not being cheerful at all.
“He made no effort to speak. He did not look anything like Santa.
“I felt like I was failing her as a mother.”
Ms Lewis explained that Layla was taken to Radcliffe Girls and Boys Club by little Layla on Saturday, November 27, as an emergency decision in order to embrace the holiday spirit.
It was a last-minute choice, she stated. She was just happy to be with us, so we took her down.
“It was shared by Facebook so I thought it would be worth a shot.
But Ms. Lewis noticed some red flags when she got to the parking lot of the location where the meet was taking place.
“We arrived at the parking lot, and he was smoking in full view of us with his bird wrapped around his neck.
I tried to keep Layla inside the car so it would take longer. She didn’t notice.
“But she did mention, “Oh, there’s Santa!”
“I don’t know if she was able to see the cigarette in her mouth.”
Later on, Lewis claimed that Father Christmas asked Ms Lewis to “go back to his Grotto” after the event. He seemed confused by this remark.
He said that he followed us in, but we were only a few steps behind. The event organizer had told them to “Go back into your grotto,”
“He said he had forgotten the location.”
She said, once inside the grotto she noticed that Santa was slumbering in his chair. He wasn’t really getting into the holiday spirit.
She replied, “He just lay down on the couch.” He was not being cheerful at all.
“He made no effort to speak. He did not look anything like Santa.
Ms Lewis claimed that Layla left the meeting with “a lot of questions”.
She replied, “She is quite nervous, so she sat down happily and accepted it. But once we were gone, she asked many questions.
“She stated that she believed that Santa was not real.
She said, “I tried to get Layla Santa to visit in the past but she is a little anxious.”
She’s always been a back-up, so it was this first time I managed to get her and she is now a better person for it.
“Children are quick to believe that Santa is real, and it takes them a while to get to know him. However, this Santa was not Santa.
Laura De-Foe who organized the event described Santa Clause as a great and gentleman’.
She explained that “He wouldn’t knowingly make children uncomfortable” and many other children felt very content.
Ms. Lewis volunteers with Radcliffe Litter Pickers in her spare time. She and other Radcliffe Litter Pickers have paid for an excursion to Santa’s Grotto during Radcliffe’s Christmas Markets.
According to a litter-pickers spokesperson, “A good Santa helps keep the magic of Christmas alive for children in their early years.”
“They should have a great first experience. Therefore, we are trying to clear Layla’s poor memory.