The Denison Forum included this story in their weekly email:

“It was the nightmare before Christmas.

“Children were lined up to visit Santa Claus in the English town of St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, last Sunday. An alarm at a nearby but unrelated event caused an evacuation of the building.

“Organizers euphemistically said later that Santa ‘assisted in the evacuation of the building.’ Here’s how: Parents and children were leaving when Santa tore into the room, ripped his hat and beard off in front of fifty children, and started shouting and swearing at people to leave.

“One mother said she had to tell her children that the man wasn’t really Santa but an imposter who would be going on the ‘naughty list.’”

I guess you could safely say that the St. Ives Santa’s actions were out of character.

I wonder how often people who claim to be Christians scare off potential Christ-followers by their behaviors which are distinctly out of character for one who is supposed to be a “little Christ.” Even as some of those English children may never again trust a Santa or want to be near one, some people who’ve been the target of unkind, unloving, hypocritical, hurtful behaviors of someone who was wearing the “Christian-suit” have probably never again trusted anyone who claimed to be Jesus’ follower and avoided church where such potential hypocrites congregate. How tragic!

None of us are perfect! So not perfect! But if we claim to follow Jesus, we must be passionately committed to be growing more like Him every day. Little kids (and others) are watching and learning.