Mayor blasted over comments about Santa

A town mayor has left parents fuming after she made some uncomfortable comments about Santa at a Christmas event in the UK.

Tory councillor Christine Jeffreys, mayor of Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, was set to give a speech at an annual Christmas lights switch on, but her words left the audience stunned for all the wrong reasons.

Cllr Jeffreys reportedly told a crowd of young children that Santa was "too busy" to deliver their Christmas presents this year, so "mum and dad would be helping" and providing their gifts instead.

Parents in the audience were horrified, while their children were left confused by Cllr Jeffreys' speech.

Local mum Nina Hudson recounted the shocking speech on Facebook, where she joked she had been left "traumatised" by it.

"Before she made her speech we watched 4 Disney princess on stage sing Disney songs etc, the audience were all under 10 years old, my daughter one of them right at the front of the stage," she wrote.

"The Mayor then proceed to tell all the kids that Santa was really busy this year so mum and dad would be helping out by putting all their presents under the tree this year, and if they hear a noise in the middle of the night on Xmas eve, don't worry it's just 'mummy and daddy'."

She later added that organisers "couldn't get the microphone off her quick enough" and the Christmas light countdown started soon after.

Other locals commented that the speech was "bizarre" and left their children confused, while one mum claimed that her 18-year-old daughter said that Cllr Jeffrey's had "ruined Christmas" for the younger kids.

Hudson later shared a screenshot of a conversation between herself and a spokesperson for Cllr Jeffreys, who passed along an apology from the mayor.

"I apologise unreservedly for the upset I have caused to those who attended the Lights Switch On," the apology read.

"Some of my words were said in error. I am deeply apologetic to anyone who was affected by what I said."

The mayor later repeated the apology in an official statement on her Facebook page.

Sadly we don't think that's going to cut it for the kids who now have a few uncomfortable questions about Santa.