LONDON -- Father Christmas isn't to be trusted and must always have another adult present, according to new guidelines of Britain's Rotary Club which no longer allow children to sit on Santa's lap, reported the BBC Tuesday.

Besides a handshake, there is to be no contact between the red-suited Santa and children. The enclosed grotto, common in great Britain and the U.S., in which father Christmas often sits to receive children, is likewise taboo.

The Rotary Club said the guidelines are in line with a government code of conduct to protect children against sexual abuse, DPA reported.