Meanwhile in Bordeaux… French police arrest armed Santa

A 53-year-old Santa was arrested at Bordeaux’s Christmas market for threatening his employer, who was also his nephew, with an unloaded hunting rifle.

The Sud Ouest claimed that the dispute had risen over unpaid hours and the angry Santa, feeling that he had been “swindled”.

Market spokeswoman Florence Cambon described the incident as “a family problem.” She also stated unequivocally that the problematic Père Noël would be immediately replaced.

The nephew, who sells pine trees and who can almost certainly expect a stocking full of coal this Christmas, has filed an official complaint.