A priest from Hampshire, England, has saddened primary school children by telling them that Santa Claus doesn’t exist and that their parents are leaving presents under the tree.

Last week he was supposed to teach a religious education class and talk about the birth of Jesus, but somehow the story switched to Santa Claus. The children, apparently, were not ready for the “big reveal”, writes the Daily Mail.

He told the sixth-graders that Santa Claus is not real, that parents buy presents and sweets, and then leave them under the Christmas tree. It is claimed that many children were “shocked” and cried.

The little ones told their parents what they had heard, and their reaction was stormy. They described the priest’s behavior as “wrong” and that he had “ruined the magic of Christmas”.

“I don’t know how this can be fixed? And I think it is absolutely disgusting,” said one mother.

In the end, the priest had to publicly apologize to the children, parents and the school in Hampshire.

“After talking about the Bible, he made a few comments about the origins of Christmas. He realized his mistake and apologized unreservedly to everyone. “The school principal immediately contacted the parents,” the Diocese of Portsmouth said.