Instead of Wishing This Boy a Happy Holiday, 1 Santa Claus Fat-Shamed Him

A little boy was expecting a jolly time with Santa Claus but instead, his holiday visit ended in tears that lasted through the night.

When 9-year-old Anthony Mayse went to a local Christmas event with his family, the North Carolina boy stopped to meet Santa. After asking for an iPod Touch and a drone, the old man (who was more like the Grinch), fat-shamed the child instead of spreading holiday cheer.

"He said, 'Lay off the hamburgers and french fries and that really just disrespected me, and I felt awful," Anthony told WLOS.

After that devastating encounter, his mom, Ashley, immediately tore up the photo that Santa and Anthony took together. "I was just mind-blown. I wished a million times that we never went," Ashley said. "I'm hoping he's fired because I don't want any kid feeling the way he did; I mean it destroyed him."

Anthony explained that he spent the night crying and a city manager told WLOS that the Santa apologized to the family. The man, who was hired by the city, later resigned, but that might not be enough to restore Anthony's faith this holiday season as he hopes Santa now knows that you should never disrespect a child — no matter what shape or size they are. "I hate that it came down to that, but I'm glad he's gone and no other children will have to go through what my son did Saturday," Ashley told the Huffington Post. "It was really heartbreaking."