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

Hohono! A prominentNorwegian newspaperhasapologizedafter accidentally publishing a noticethat stated Father Christmas (Santa Claus)had diedat 226 years olda hoax thateasily could have ruined the holiday season.

Published late last week by Aftenposten, thenotice stated that Father Christmas had died on Dec.3 in the remote northern Norwegian municipalityof Nordkapp. Thedeath was listed asjustshy of the jolly man's 227th birthdayDec.12, 1788.

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

The paper admitsa botched "internal procedure" led to the faux posting. It posted a brief apology to its websiteafter 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-uphappened, the Internet has already weighed in with a sigh of relief and a slate of well-timed Santa jokes.