“Bad Santa” wasn’t just a movie with Billy Bob Thornton this year in Portland. A stand-in Santa hired by the Maine Mall was fired, and he seemed to take more than a few queues from Thornton’s character—causing the media to label him St. Nick the Grinch—“Santa.”

The controversy started, at least publicly, Dec. 3 when Jess Mailhiot complained on the mall’s Facebook page that this year’s Santa refused to let her daughter sit in his lap because she didn’t purchase a $20 photo package.

“Because we did not purchase any photo packages the gentleman mumble something to Santa and when my daughter who is six was going to sit on his lap Santa put his hands together and placed them on his legs so she couldn’t sit on him,” Mailhiot’s post stated. “Santa was not attentive and brushed her off all because we did not purchase pictures. Why don’t you just put up a sign saying NO PICTURES NO SANTA. My daughter was hurt and I so disappointed. Shame on you!”

The Maine Maill was quick to acknowledge Mailhiot and stress purchasing pictures is optional, not a requirement to visit Santa. But Mailhiot and her daughter were also interviewed by local news reporters, and described the grumpy misdemeanor of the mall’s Santa—not at all a jolly old elf. Other parents soon placed their own comments on the mall’s Facebook page.

“We did purchase a package, he broke all 3 of my girls’ hearts by brushing them off and not even responding to them when they talked to him! Extremely disappointed and bummed,” wrote Kari Henderson.

“I took Bella and her friend,” posted Trish Moulton. “Santa told her friend she didn’t really want what she asked for. The girls are 8 and said Santa was being weird.”

Janelle Bavota wrote, “The Santa here is extremely rude, abrupt, and has no holiday spirit whatsoever. I was very disappointed.”

“Very disappointed in Santa this year,” Ka Judice chimed in. “He made my 11 year old son cry – basically told him he was being greedy.”

Hopefully the kids won’t notice when a different Santa shows up halfway through the holiday season. St. Nick the Grinch was replaced, according to the Main Mall’s Facebook page.

“We have a new Santa who started today,” read the announcement. “We were delighted to see him happily waving and chatting with kids as they passed.”

Still, plenty of customers are unhappy with the mail for making a poor first choice.

“So if we bought photos with ‘grumpy’ Santa can we come back and get a good picture for free,” Kelly Frost posted on the Maine Mall’s Facebook page. “It was my baby’s first Christmas and between the horrible set-up, (Sports Authority sign in the picture) to the horrible Santa her first Christmas picture is ruined. I want a picture with ‘happy’ Santa!”

And Ken Moore is concerned for the children:

“When it happens, it’s bad for the parents and others, but what about the kids that still want to believe? They deserve to feel that they have been in the presents [sic] of the real Santa.”

[Image via Shutterstock]