Santa, dead at 226? Norwegian paper apologizes after publishing hoax death notice

Ho ho no! A prominent Norwegian newspaper has apologized after accidentally publishing a notice that stated Father Christmas (Santa Claus) had died at 226 years old — a hoax that easily could have ruined the holiday season.

Published late last week by Aftenposten, the notice stated that Father Christmas had died on Dec. 3 in the remote northern Norwegian municipality of Nordkapp. The death was listed as just shy of the jolly man's 227th birthday — Dec. 12, 1788.

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The notice also announced details for Santa's alleged funeral, set to take place at the North Pole chapel on Dec. 28.

The paper admits a botched "internal procedure" led to the faux posting. It posted a brief apology to its website after removing the online version of the death notice.

"Aftenposten has strict guidelines for both the content and use of symbols in our obituaries. This ad is a violation of these and should never have been published," the statement reads in Norwegian.

While the paper vows to find out how the slip-up happened, the Internet has already weighed in with a sigh of relief – and a slate of well-timed Santa jokes.