Anti-Santa signs at Brantford, Ont. home not illegal, police say

Police in a city west of Toronto say they were flooded with complaints from upset residents the day of their annual Christmas parade, after one person bound for Santa’s naughty list tried to spoil the magic of the season.

Thousands of people gathered in Brantford, Ont., on Nov. 29 for the city’s annual Santa Claus parade, which for the last 50 years has taken carollers and festive floats through the city’s downtown.

Photos shared on social media show a home on Dalhousie Street was decorated with four signs that featured scrawling messages such as “Santa is fake,” “Santa isn’t real,” “Your parents are Santa” and “Your family buys your presents.”

The force’s corporate communications manager Robin Matthews-Osmond says officers received “a few calls” to online channels and special constables staffing the parade, though she says a specific figure for the number of calls is not available.

She says officers spoke to the homeowner the evening of the parade and they decided to take the signs down.

Matthews-Osmond says the force did not lay any charges as it “isn’t illegal to be a Grinch,” but added the force still encourages everyone to “embrace the spirit of the season to help foster a positive, welcoming community” during holiday events.