COURTENAY, B.C. — Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus…coming up from the Underworld?
Not your typical cheerful image of Jolly Old St. Nick, but one that was unintentionally conjured up by a newspaper in Courtenay, B.C.
A typo in the Nov. 21 edition of The Comox Valley Record hilariously invited holiday-goers to take “Pictures With Satan” at the Comox Valley Christmas Parade, seemingly letting “Santa” off the hook from his usual duties.
The ad was posted on Reddit and other social media platforms, with countless people poking fun at the unfortunate faux pas.
Well this is awkward. pic.twitter.com/yDwTqQs4G9
— Nicholas M Pescod (@npescod) November 21, 2019
Courtenay, BC, is having one hell of a Christmas parade this year!#SatanClaus pic.twitter.com/ouhGXApWop
— Windsor’s Country (@Country959) November 27, 2019
Gotta love that Courtenay, B.C. is now famous for pictures with Satan. As someone who’s always been afraid of Santa, this ad captures how I’ve always felt about him. pic.twitter.com/Y23uUeGISy
— Megan Cole (@MegzyCole) November 23, 2019
In response, the newspaper issued a statement, saying that there was “no excuse” for the typo and that despite having several people proof the ad, “somehow this was missed – and for that we sincerely apologize.”
The statement went on to read:
“As a newspaper, it is our responsibility to make sure the information we distribute is accurate – from the editorial department, as well as the advertising department.
“We often chuckle about the typos we have caught, breathing sighs of relief when the L in “public” or the B in “Hornby” is added by the last set of eyes before going to print. Even those are not always caught.
“But when it happens in an ad, it becomes all that much more blatant. They are called “display ads” for a reason. They are meant to stand out on the page. This one did that, for all the wrong reasons.
“On the bright side, everyone in the Comox Valley and beyond knows when the Courtenay Christmas parade is… and the Captain Thunderpants concert should be a complete sell-out. So there’s that.”
For anyone who’s interested, the parade is scheduled to take place on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Let’s see if the Man in Red will be sporting a new pair of deviled horns this year.
