Boy, 4, bursts into tears when Norridge mall Santa won't bring him Nerf gun this Christmas; 'no, no guns'

Thursday, December 10, 2020
NORRIDGE, Ill. -- A 4-year-old boy was captured on video crying after a north suburban mall Santa told him he couldn't give him a Nerf gun for Christmas, saying, "no guns."

Sabella DeCarlo, the boy's mother, posted the video to Facebook.

The video shows her son, Michael, sitting at a table across from the mall Santa. The boy then tells Santa he would like a Nerf gun for Christmas, but Santa says "No, no guns."

DeCarlo said she thought maybe the Santa didn't hear her son correctly. She's heard chiming in, saying loudly, "Nerf gun." The Santa responds, "No, not even a Nerf gun," adding, "if your dad wants to get it for you, that's fine, but I can't bring it to you."

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Michael can be seen becoming visibly upset as his mom walks over to comfort him.

"I had to fight back tears right along with him," she said.

The mall later sent another Santa to the DeCarlo home to deliver a Nerf gun directly to Michael.

DeCarlo edited her original Facebook post to say that the mall had responded quickly with "kindness and understanding."

"We thought it was very kind, and we're grateful for their quick response to restore my son's faith in Santa," DeCarlo said.
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