A deflated Santa Claus sits in a crumbled pile on the front lawn of a home in Little Italy after it was slashed Sunday night.
The incident took place one day after residents in the area of College and Shaw streets came together to hoist up the 14-foot inflatable Santa.
“Somebody was a Grinch and decided to cut a hole in the front of him,” the owner of the inflatable Santa, Mark Osborne, told CTV News Toronto on Monday.
“When I took a closer look they tried to stab it once with a pen and another pen and obviously the third time they were able to get it and rip it down.”
Osborne said this isn’t the first time someone has vandalized his inflatable Santa. He said it suffered “a little cut” that was repairable two years ago.
“We’re pretty disappointed. It’s one of those things you can’t quite put your finger on as to why somebody would do it.”
The inflatable Santa has been a staple on Shaw Street for the past three years and has become a way to instill Christmas cheer amongst residents in the neighbourhood.
“When the Santa’s up, adults, kids, elderly people just come up to our door and ask to have their picture taken with him. Everybody who walks by it seems to bring a smile to their face,” Osborne said.
“It’s disappointing, especially having young kids and having to explain to them why stuff like this happens.”
But the Osborne’s said their Christmas spirit hasn’t been shattered by the incident, they intend to help Santa stand again.
“He might be lying down right now but he'll be back up soon,” Osborne said.
The family has not reported the incident to police, but will be installing a security camera.
