Parents are heated after a reverend ruined the magic of Christmas for a group of children.
After Rev. Paul Chamberlain stopped by a primary school in Hampshire, England for a chat about the holiday and its origins, students were left sobbing and parents were upset, to say the least, according to The Times.
“You’re all year six, now let’s be real, Santa isn’t real,” the local vicar reportedly told the group of 10- and 11-year-olds at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School, GB News reported.
Rev. Chamberlain not only told the students that Saint Nick is not real, but he also explained that it’s actually their parents who buy Christmas presents and eat the treats they leave out for the holiday figure each year, per The Times.
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The news was not taken particularly well, according to parents at the school, with one mom recalling to The Times that “lots of children started crying in class.”
“Mine was upset but she still believes,” the parent said, “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.”
Sadly, other students were taken by surprise and believed the vicar. A 10-year-old who was present during the chat told the outlet, “I heard a lot of gasps because they were shocked about it, so I don’t think everyone knew.”
One mom said her young children have since been telling her daily that Santa is not real, and another is struggling with how to move forward following the “disgusting” display at the primary school.
“I don’t know how it can be undone, but I think it’s absolutely disgusting,” the latter mom told The Times. “I don’t want him anywhere near my daughter.”
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The mother also hopes that Rev. Chamberlain — who has been the vicar of St Faith’s in Lee-on-the-Solent since March 2014, per the church’s website — “never comes into the school again.”
“I think he should stop doing what he’s doing,” she said, adding that “it’s been difficult, really difficult” in the wake of the controversial chat, “because [her daughter’s] a very bright little girl.”
“So we’re just going to try and just push as much magic into this as we can,” she added.
The mom who confessed to being worried about how to “bring the magic back,” complained to teachers following the incident — and she’s not alone. Parents have since raged about a “ruined Christmas” and filed a formal complaint against Rev. Chamberlain, according to The Independent.
The school’s response? The headteacher wrote to parents twice, with the second including an apology from Rev. Chamberlain, and some teachers have been making “Lee-on-the-Solent believe” badges.
Teachers also explained in an email that they have told students that “all stories and legends around Christmas” are legitimate, and “your own family beliefs are what are important and just as valid as Christian Christmas story,” the outlet reported.
Rev. Chamberlain and St Faith’s did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, nor did representatives for St Faith’s or the Diocese of Portsmouth.
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The diocese did, however, issue a statement regarding the incident, with a spokesperson telling The Times, “We understand that the vicar of St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent, the Rev Paul Chamberlain, was leading an RE [religious education] 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,” the statement continued, “He apologized unreservedly to the school, to the parents, and to the children, and the headteacher immediately wrote to all parents to explain this.”
The statement also noted that “the school and diocese have worked together to address this issue.”
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