Matt Rife Netflix Special Under Fire for Santa Claus Spoiler

Matt Rife and Netflix are under fire for his new comedy special ... and parents are blaming the comedian and the streaming service for ruining the magic of Santa Claus.

Folks are complaining that when they open the app, Netflix starts auto-playing a preview of Matt's Christmas special, "Matt Rife: Unwrapped - A Christmas Crowd Work Special"... and it's a joke about Santa not being real.

Matt says ... "That changes everything when you find out your parents are Santa Claus."

Social media is flush with comments from upset parents who are ripping Matt and Netflix for ruining Christmas for their kids.

One parent who claims his son walked into the room right when Matt's joke was being previewed went so far as to say, "Thanks for ruining his childhood."

It's unclear if this was a conscious decision by Netflix here or just an oversight ... but regardless, lots of parents sound like they think Santa should put coal in Netflix's stocking.

So, we gotta ask ...