After woke Santa squashes little boy's Nerf gun Christmas wish, silver linings emerge — along with one huge surprise

One story that hit more than a few front pages Monday was the sad tale of a little boy asking a mall Santa Claus for a Nerf gun for Christmas, only to have the woke St. Nick deny him flat.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @WhiteHovse

"No guns," Santa told the kid, before adding "not even a Nerf gun."

With that the boy turned and gave his mom a heartbroken stare:

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @WhiteHovse

Talk about a Scrooge move.

To make matters worse, the little boy began crying — after which his mom consoled him and let him know that he'd still get his Nerf gun:

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @WhiteHovse

Here's the clip that has everyone buzzing:

The rest of the story

The boy's mother posted the same video on her Facebook page Sunday afternoon, noting it was the first year her son was "excited to go see Santa" — but that the guy who put on the red suit and white beard also put his politics front and center.

"It was supposed to be magical, but instead I had to watch my sweet little boy fight back tears because Santa told him No because of his own personal beliefs," Sabella DeCarlo wrote. "I had to think fast and explain to him that this Santa was just a helper and not the real guy. I just wanted to console my baby and get him out of there; flipping out on Santa would have only made it worse. His Elfie is going to bring him a Nerf gun directly from the North Pole, from the real Santa, tonight."

And as it turns out, some good news has emerged from the misty-eyed moment.

The mom's post received an addendum from a friend who said the mall — Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge, Illinois, a village about 20 minutes northwest of Chicago — "has responded quickly and with kindness and understanding. They have a special surprise for Michael that we will share later."

The addendum also stated that "many people have offered to send Michael a Nerf gun. His wish list has more than been fulfilled so if you're still feeling generous please contact his mother, Sabella DeCarlo, as they are organizing a large Nerf and toy donation to children in need! We're trying to turn this unfortunate incident into something positive and spread cheer to children who really need it!"

That Santa really was woke

The mall added its own Facebook post, expressing its regret over the situation and saying that the Santa in question "is heartbroken and crushed that he has made this child so sad and upset, and turned in his resignation. The Santa company will continue to remind all Santas how important it is to not impose personal opinions during visits with the children."

And speaking of that 'special surprise'...

The mall added that the "real" Santa visited Michael at his home Monday to bring him a Nerf gun — and that "we hope we restored Christmas magic to this boy and his family with Santa's special visit."

Looks like it worked:

Facebook video screenshot via Harlem Irving Plaza

Check out the new video — and get your tissues ready:

Anything else?

Conservative comedian and BlazeTV host Steven Crowder interviewed the little boy, and you can watch the interview here.