On Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, Saint Nicholas–commonly known as Santa Claus–stated that he would be quitting Christmas. At 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Nicholas stood in front of his home at the North Pole, with millions of elves and reporters from all around the world watching. With a distressed look on his face, he announced that he is terribly sorry to all the children, from 1 to 92, but he will not be continuing Christmas from this year on. “I wish I could say that this is not true, but sadly, I can not go on putting gifts underneath Christmas trees anymore. For millenniums, I have brought joy to the hearts of parents and their children, but that ritual ends now. You may all be wondering why, after so long, I have decided to quit. It is simply because everyone is so ungrateful nowadays,” Nicholas explained.

Homes all around the globe were in a panic upon hearing the news. Mothers and fathers were absolutely dumbfounded. Children wept as they realized that this year, their Santa letters would go unanswered. December quickly turned from a season of cheer to a season of fear.

Nicholas went on to demonstrate how people could change their attitudes this holiday season. He stated, “For once, maybe you could all give each other presents instead of buying them for yourselves.” He also talked about giving without expecting anything back. Nicholas acknowledged that it may feel nice to give to someone else and then gain something in return, but if a person takes a moment to see that the gift is not what matters, but instead the happiness on someone else’s face, the experience is a thousand times more memorable. “You never really know joy until you see that smile on someone’s face and the glee in their eyes; that itself is a gift,” he noted.

Nicholas concluded his oration by stating that “love grows only by sharing” and that “true joy, happiness and inner peace come from the giving of ourselves to others.” He declared that if he starts seeing more “giving rather than taking”, he will consider stepping back into his role of Santa Claus. Until then, he wants to continue spreading the positive message of making Christmas a giving season instead of a receiving season.