Norwegian newspaper apologises for publishing Father Christmas 'obituary'

An announcement said Father Christmas had passed away at 227 after 'a long and active life'

A funeral service for Santa was to be held at the North Pole (Getty)

A Norwegian newspaper has apologised after it risked destroying a myriad of childhood fantasies by publishing Father Christmas's funeral details.

The obituary, published in Aftenposten, one of Norway's most popular newspapers, announced Santa had passed away at the age of 226.

"Our dear Father Christmas" was said to have died on "3 December in Nordkapp", the country's most northern point, just days before his birthday, cited as "12 December 1788".

Father Christmas was said to have passed away just days before his 227th birthday Aftenposten (Aftenposten)

Funeral arrangements were also provided in the hoax obituary, with a service due to be held at "the North Pole on 28 December".

No cause of death was given, so it can only be guessed as to whether a sleigh accident or an altercation with a reindeer were to blame.

The newspaper has since apologised for the announcement, citing an "error" within their "internal procedures".

An apology issued on Friday said: “An error in Aftenposten’s internal procedures led to a fictional obituary of Santa Claus [being] published in our digital systems.

“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 ad was removed immediately from the digital obituary paged when we were made aware of the case.”

The newspaper said they would investigate how the incident occurred.