The holidays usually kick off with cozy lights, peppermint everything, and annual trips to see Santa. But for one Illinois mom, the season’s first big moment turned into an unexpected showdown, and the entire encounter is now going viral. Instead of a sweet memory with Santa, her daughter’s visit to a nearby mall quickly spiraled into a moment that left the mom furious enough to confront the man in the red suit on camera.
The TikTok posted by user @niaroseberg shows her 8-year-old daughter walking up to a picture-perfect Santa in an Illinois mall. He was dressed exactly how you’d expect ruby-red suit, glossy black boots, and a snow-white beard that would make any Christmas card proud. Everything looked magical until it didn’t.
As the little girl stepped forward, Santa hit her with a question no one saw coming:
“Are you asking for a boyfriend for Christmas?” Her reaction was immediate: a firm shake of her head and a clear “No.” That’s not exactly the wishlist item most second-graders are carting around.
Illinois Mall Santa Angers Mother After Uncomfortable Interaction With Daughter
The video quickly jumps to mom Nia talking to an employee at the counter, clearly upset. “I just feel like that’s inappropriate,” she said, keeping her cool but making her point. The worker apologized, but Nia wasn’t leaving without making sure Santa himself understood just how wrong the whole interaction felt.
Moments later, she approached Santa directly. “Why did you ask her does she want a boyfriend?” she asked. His response? A bewildered, “It was just a joke.”
But Nia wasn’t having it. “You can’t joke like that. She’s only 8-years-old. She felt really uncomfortable. I think for future references, you shouldn’t be asking kids stuff like that. That’s very unacceptable. Now she’s traumatized,” she explained.
And she wasn’t exaggerating. In a follow-up TikTok, Nia revealed that her daughter was so shaken that she drew a picture about the encounter and captioned it “Mall. Bad. Santa.”
The Internet Was On Her Side
“I’d be so angry,” one person wrote. “I’m proud of you for calling it out,” said another. “Good for you for speaking up. It’s weird,” a third person stated. “That’s so wrong,” a fourth comment read.
Santa did apologize, but Nia made it clear she wasn’t letting the situation disappear into the tinsel. She told commenters she planned to contact mall management and find out whether any consequences were implemented, including whether Santa was removed from his post.
Now, this Illinois mall Santa might be polishing up his résumé instead of his sleigh bells. And while the moment was definitely not the whimsical kickoff this family hoped for, here’s hoping the young girl still gets to enjoy the rest of her Illinois holiday season without any more “Bad Santa” encounters.
Hunter Spears 
Dylan Cook 
Nina Franklin 
