Santa Fired For Naughty Joke

Categories: Local News
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There's worse things than being fired...
One of the classic hilarity-inducing Jay Leno headlines of yore was "Angry, Jobless Santas Picket Mall After Elf Accused of Lechery." As first broken by the Chronicle, something along those lines is developing right here in San Francisco.

John Toomey, a beloved Macy's Santa for more than 20 years, has been sacked. His crime: An off-color joke for an "elderly" couple who saw fit to sit on Santa's knee.

When grown-ups sit on his knee, Toomey said, he asks them if they've been good. When they say "yes," he replies "that's too bad." He then notes that Santa is jolly because "I know where all the naughty boys and girls live." Toomey added that this is not the kind of humor he uses when dealing with kids.



While the Santa says he's been telling this joke for decades, this time he found an unreceptive audience. The couple complained and, as of Saturday, Toomey is out on his ear. Macy's has refused to discuss a "personnel matter" with the media, but Santa's co-workers are distraught.

No one's ready to picket yet, however. It remains to be seen what opportunities will arise for the suddenly out-of-work, retired 68-year-old. The saying goes "When God closes a door, he opens a window."

How about a chimney?

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly

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