Santa Claus 'fat-shames nine-year-old boy' in North Carolina

Billy Bob Thornton and Brett Kelly in a scene from film Bad Santa.

Here's a not-so-jolly story: A mother wants her local St. Nick kicked to the curb for fat-shaming her son.

In a scene practically lifted from the movie Bad Santa, Ashley Mayse's nine-year-old son started crying when the Santa Claus told him to "lay off the hamburgers" during his Christmas visit in North Carolina on Saturday.

"I went out and started crying, because I just felt so bad," Anthony Mayse told WLOS-TV of his conversation with Father Christmas.

"When he got done, he said, 'Lay off the hamburgers and french fries'. And that really just disrespected me, and I felt awful."

Ms Mayse says coal in the stocking of the Santa, employed by the town of Forest City, would be too good for such behaviour.

"Very rude. I've never seen anything like it," Ms Mayse said. "What set me off is when he (Anthony) started crying. I was just mind-blown. I wished a million times that we never went."

The town manager says Santa apologised to the family as well as a supervisor, but mum wants him to get a "pink slip."

"I'm hoping he's fired, because I don't want any kid feeling like he did Saturday," she said. "I mean, it destroyed him."

HEARTBREAKER: Anthony says Forest City Santa made him cry when he told him to "lay off the burgers & french fries." @WLOS_13 pic.twitter.com/U5ABOf3hSj

— John Le WLOS Reporter (@AbsoluteLe) December 6, 2016

Anthony says he tore up his photo with Santa and will take his wish list to another Father Christmas next year.

"It affected me so bad that I was crying until I went to bed that night," Anthony said.

"And I want to say to him, 'You don't want to disrespect a nine-year-old. Even though what shape and size you are, it doesn't matter.'"