Apparently Santa Claus won’t be coming to town.
Some cowardly residents of a neighborhood in Virginia Beach called the police to complain about a retired firetruck carrying Santa Claus through the Chimney Hill area.
According to WTKR-Norfolk, the truck was using its siren to notify the large number of children in the area that Santa was there.
WTKR reported:
Santa was in the back of a privately-owned retired firetruck greeting children in the neighborhood when neighbors say police pulled the truck over after complaints about the sirens. The truck was using sirens to alert children and neighbors that Santa was passing by. Police told the truck to stop using the sirens, effectively ending the event, according to neighbors.
The real-life Ebenezer Scrooges of the neighborhood couldn’t handle a little Christmas spirit, and the driver of the firetruck couldn’t believe it.
“We pulled over and I'm like, 'You pulled a firetruck over with Santa Claus on top. What's going on?'" Jasen White reportedly asked the officer. "The whole purpose of what we were doing was just to make the kids smile. It wasn't meant to disturb anybody.”
The event had been planned for months, and was advertised in the community association, according to White.
WTKR also reported:
Several families missed their chance to see Santa, including the Jones family. "I think it's ridiculous," said Richelle Jones, a mom whose two kids were waiting to see Santa, but never did. "It's absolutely ridiculous. There are so many children in this neighborhood."
White says he was told they didn't need a permit as they weren't stopping in the roads. He has a message to the neighbors who complained. "It was two hours out of your Saturday evening the weekend before Christmas. Was it that bad? Was it really that bad?"
Police did not issue White a ticket, because even they had to know how absurd the complaints were.
Being a Grinch and denying children a little joy during Christmas eventually will karmically come back to haunt you.
Everyone enjoy the holiday season, and be safe in your travels. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
For video of the incident, watch below: