Santa warns Christmas may be cancelled in dire Greenpeace video

With just over two weeks until Christmas, we interrupt the festive mood with a dark and daunting message from Santa Claus himself.

“Dear children, regrettably I bring bad tidings,” Santa says in a video posted by the environmental group Greenpeace. “For some time now, melting nice here in the North Pole has made our operations and our day to day life intolerable and impossible. And there may be no alternative but to cancel Christmas.”

After watching the video, it’s clear that political conservatives aren’t the only ones trying to use Christmas to push their respective causes.

In the video, Santa Claus is played by actor Jim Carter , best known as Mr. Carson on “Downton Abbey,” appear to be sending his emergency broadcast from the confines of a derelict basement, with water dripping from the ceiling. Santa’s clothes appear dirty wet and the camera shifts in and out of focus, with dark, ominous lighting reminiscent of recent horror films such as the “Saw” or “Paranormal Activity” film series.

In fact, while the language itself is dark enough, when delivered by Carter, it comes across as material from the 2010 Finnish horror film “ Rare Exports” that reimagined Santa as a threatening menace.

Of course, the message isn’t meant for children waiting to see what presents await them under the tree later this month. It’s a pointed message specifically directed at world leaders.

This Santa has a warning as well, telling global figures like President Obama that they have made St. Nick’s “naughty list.”

“I have written personally to President Obama and President Putin, all world leaders. Sadly, my letters have been met with indifference,” Carter says in the video. “Needless to say, these individuals are now at the top of my naughty list.”

The video is part of Greenpeace’s effort to raise awareness over climate change and melting ice in the Arctic.

“ Santa can no longer function. His warehouse is flooded. All the presents are ruined,” Greenpeace writes on its “ Save Santa’s Home” website. “That’s bad enough. But oil companies are trying to drill in the Arctic Ocean around him. They want to extract the oil that - when it’s used - will make the melting of the Arctic all the quicker.”