Police in a Canadian city are reminding the public that being a "grinch" may be frowned upon, but not illegal, after receiving calls over anti-Santa signs.

The signs appeared on a house window along a Santa Claus parade route over the weekend in Brantford, 103 kilometres (64 miles) west of Toronto. They read: "Santa is fake" and "Your parents are Santa", images on social media showed.

Police said they received "a few calls from upset residents" over the signs, and the individual responsible was asked to take them down.

They added that while the signs were not illegal, embracing the festive season is encouraged.

"While it isn't illegal to be a 'Grinch', we do encourage everyone to embrace the spirit of the season and help foster a positive, welcoming community, especially during events like the Santa Claus Parade," a police spokesperson said.

An image shared on social media showed four colourful signs posted on a window, two of which had writing on black sharpie on them, which read: "Santa isn't real", and "Your family buys your presents".

Police said the signs were not illegal because of free speech laws and because they were posted on private property, Canada's public broadcaster CBC reports.

Some shared their dismay at the display on social media. In a comment on Facebook, one person called it "absolutely disgusting".

Others, however, questioned the outrage. "I can't believe someone actually called the police about this," another user wrote.

The traditional Santa Claus parade is held annually in Brantford. This year, it drew a crowd of around 30,000 – a typical turn-out for the holiday event, local media report.

The signs are not the first time police have been called to deal with a holiday spoiler. In 2018, Texas police arrested a protester who told children Santa Claus is not real outside a church in Cleburne.

He was charged with criminal trespassing for refusing to leave.

Scott Cain, then mayor of Cleburne, insisted that his town "loves Santa Claus".

"I hope those protesters know they are probably going to get a big lump of coal instead of being on the nice list," he added.

Decades earlier, a Vietnam veteran by the name of Richard Dildy was arrested in 1979 and charged with causing a disturbance after protesting outside a mall in downtown Toronto.

Photos showed him wearing a sign that read: "Down with Santa!"

He was labelled a "grinch" in a local newspaper the next day, according a Toronto Today report. But he was not moved.

"All I was saying is that people have to stop lying to their children," he told the Toronto Star.