To think that only posh people say Father Christmas?!

[charliesp]

And everyone else says Santa?

I say Santa but my posh DH and all his family and posh friends say Father Christmas.

Anyone else noticed this? Or AIBU?

He's Father Christmas here or Santa Claus. No 'Santa' on his own. That's just American tacky. "Saaandta" 🤮

Oh for FUCKS sake. People will bring anti American sentiment in to any ducking thread. Brits really makes themselves look like ignorant little xenophobes sometimes.

"Oh for FUCKS sake. People will bring anti American sentiment in to any ducking thread. Brits really makes themselves look like ignorant little xenophobes sometimes."

"Brits"? Does this include all of us Scottish and Irish people who also call him Santa and are sick of trying to get this through to people on MN?

YABU. I have always said Father Christmas and I was born in a Council House. I see Santa as American.

Well my granny was born in 1912 and she always said Santa - I'm assuming she learnt it from her parents. She died into her 100s unaware that she was using an Americanism.

‘Santy’ is very sweet.

I think we all probably have an affinity to whichever name we learnt/used first as children. For me, Father Christmas. Still sounds magical to me now.

@Andysbestadventure my child and husband gabe American accents. They don't sound 'tacky like at all. You sound rude, judgemental and ignorant though.

@SlightlyStaleCocoPops sorry. Should have said English and Welsh.

@astraltweaks that's a bit of a random list of things! Where's it from?

@gingergittable what do you mean Welsh? This is all on the English folk I'm afraid.

I’m working class, in my early 30s and Father Christmas was the norm for me and everyone I knew when I was growing up.

Santa is just yet more Americanisation of British culture.

Ok then.

I'm working class, in my early 50s and Santa was the norm for me and everyone I knew when I was growing up.

Santa is not an Americanisation of British culture.

@haverhill I'm early 50s. Grandparents, both sets, born 1910s/1920s (ish) also said Santa.

Santa is just yet more Americanisation of British culture.

English does not equal British.
The UK includes NI as well as GB.

@SquareAsABlock I'm Welsh and my family and I all say Father Christmas!

Ok so clearly Santa is a Scottish/NI thing. Calm down.

But it is NOT traditionally an English thing. Not in the south, at least.

Where I come from (SW England, as far away from Scotland as you can get in the UK) it’s always been Father Christmas. Up until around 10-15 years ago.

I stand by my assertion that I’m SOME parts of the UK, it’s definitely due to an increase in exposure to American culture.

*@Celebelly There are two types of people in the world.

1. I call him X but it's interesting to learn other people call him Y. Regional variations are really cool!

2. I call him X and anything else is AMERICAN PROPAGANDA YOU COMMIE BASTARDS*

I stand by my assertion that I’m SOME parts of the UK, it’s definitely due to an increase in exposure to American culture.

Where is your evidence of that? What about the children of Irish/Northern Irish/Scottish/Welsh/European children living in England picking up their parents' vernacular? What does it matter regardless?

Nah it isn't American culture - it is the shite Santa crud that shops peddle out.

God everything’s game for an argument round here isn’t it! I love that there’s a full thread of people getting heated over who says Santa and who says Father Christmas.

Commie Bastards sounds a bit American

@Pantalaimon88

"I stand by my assertion that I’m SOME parts of the UK, it’s definitely due to an increase in exposure to American culture."

Really... even though your near neighbours in the Republic, and parts of the ACTUAL UK say Santa, and always have done, you think it's from America.

Ok so clearly Santa is a Scottish/NI thing. Calm down

Dont be so patronising. There's been some awful xenophobia on this thread against non-English British people, the Irish and Americans. People are allowed to be annoyed about that. It's again coming over as English = right Everyone else = wrong and tacky.

@AhNowTed those neighbours have been around a lot longer than the last couple of decades, when Santa started replacing FC as the norm. Around the same time that American culture and vocabulary started becoming more and more readily available in our homes

"All the people saying you’ve always said Santa- how far back are you meaning?"

Well my papa who was over 100 when he died said Santa and his parents did too.

My children say Santa (they’re English) because I do.

we say Father Christmas except DS who is adamant he's Farmer Christmas.

I am old. Not that old but in my 60s. I don't think I'd heard Santa except in American films (before we started calling them movies, they were films). I think it's an American import. Then I remember my children coming home singing "When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney" in the 1980s and 1990s so it's just mushroomed. I don't think it's a class thing or even regional.