At the Broad Street Mall in Reading, England, a large crowd had gathered for the arrival of Santa -- or as they say across the pond -- Father Christmas. Santa was supposed to come rappelling down a long rope from an opening in the tall ceiling. Problem is his beard got caught in the rope and he was left dangling for about 40 minutes about 15-feet above the ground. One witness said, "Some people were absolutely mortified while others thought it was the funniest thing ever." Stephanie Maynard, marketing manager at the mall said, "He could have just taken his beard off and let himself down but he was such a professional and he didn't want to let the children down." Fortunately, Santa finally got down safely and was not hurt.

More From 96.1 The Eagle