Police in Texas say they arrested a 31-year-old protester who told children that Santa Claus was not real.

Aaron Urbanski was arrested for trespass after officers were called to a church in Cleburne, North Texas, which was hosting breakfast with Father Christmas.

Heather Johnson, a mother of four young children, said two men confronted her as she made her way into the church with her family and said, "Do you let your kids believe in a fake Santa or do they know who Jesus is?”

"When I told them not to ruin Santa and Christmas for my kids they started to shout out that Santa was not real and that I was wrong for teaching them that," she told NBC 5. "I got really verbal with them over it."

Police said they arrived to find three demonstrators outside the church.

Urbanski was arrested after refusing to leave, officers said. He has been charged with criminal trespass.

Scott Cain, the mayor of Cleburne, said he would increase security for Sunday’s Christmas parade through the town of 30,000 people. 

"Are you kidding me – Protesting Santa?" he wrote on his Facebook page. "While I understand folks right to protest, Cleburne loves Santa and those protesters who were naughty and broke the law when they trespassed were arrested promptly.

"Guess they wanted coal in their stockings to go with a court appearance."