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?

Hmm. Think I say both but prefer FC. Pp is right it's an americanism.

My inlaws from Yorkshire say Father Christmas. They are not posh.

I'm Irish and he's Santa no matter which class you belong to.

Reading this thread, suggests that the problem is not isolated to school kids.

🤣 I think some are gleefully ignorant. I wonder if they are like that about lots of other cultures & their customs too....

And still they come: @IdblowJonSnow was it too much effort to read even one page of the thread before wading in with the American thing? Let me guess, you’re English.

Love all the names for Santa, Father Christmas, Santie it's hilarious this is supposed to be a class thing. Why do people want to divide?

Defiantly not posh over here but I say Father Christmas and Santa.

HowlsMovingBungalow the history is fascinating and I like the way that you can see the link to very ancient beliefs and folklore changed by our more modern influences but still carrying on. I also think it's funny that the Victorians who we think of as stuffy and traditionalist were happy to incorporate the American Santa into their celebration but people are now saying its an Americanisation and bad.

Another point I was reading about Scotland and Christmas, and of course their big celebration was Hogmanay. Christmas and Yule were effectively banned after the Protestant reformation for hundreds of years. It only began to be celebrated at all in Victorian times but still much less important than Hogmanay up until quite recent times. So it makes sense that the old Father Christmas had been part of the illegal Christmas traditions and had been forgotten so they probably adopted the Santa Claus who became popular in Victorian times more quickly, hence why he is called Santa in Scotland. I do think it's quite amusing that the Church failed to ban the festivities in Scotland and it was just moved to a different day.

@cukooboo There does seem to be quite a lot of glee in the (wilful) ignorance in many cases.

I try and say Father Christmas. It sounds nicer.
Also since someone pointed out that Santa is an anagram of Satan it makes Santa sound sort of evil.
Nothing to do with posh/working class.

I agree Fakeflowers - the traditions that we have all taken as 'history' is interesting. I was quite shocked to learn that our favoured Christmas traditions were created by the Victorians, so a quite new!
It is all interesting.

Well said Chemenger.

I glanced at this thread yesterday and can't believe how it has exploded. Not only are people erroneously claiming that Santa is an American thing, it's the vitriolic way in which it's said, as if that would be a lesser thing - not as good as the 'original' English version.

We say Santa in my family. I'm in NI. Most people I know say Santa, young and old alike. If someone goes rogue and says Father Christmas though, I don't give it a second thought because I don't care. I certainly don't assume they are more posh or somehow better informed. Maybe I should stare at them blankly and say 'Sorry, WHO?'.

Christmas Day only became a public holiday in Scotland in the 1950s. Yule celebrations were illegal for years because the Protestants thought them frivolous. So in Scotland, New Year was traditionally a bigger deal.

Not so much now though, although we still get 2nd January as a holiday as well as 1st.

There does seem to be quite a lot of glee in the (wilful) ignorance in many cases.

One of MN’s least attractive characteristics is the dumb arse, ignorant anti-Americanism that raises its head quite frequently.

The Home Counties types who in all seriousness come on here to declare that the US is lacking in culture.

The Irish and Scots are often an unintended casualty of all this as people have no fucking clue of how their cultural traditions shaped the US.

Of course it’s compounded by English ignorance of the traditions of their nearest neighbours.

Working class here and say Father Christmas. Only started hearing Santa in the mid to late 1980s in all the American TV programmes.

This thread is so funny! I think it should be in classics.

I'm not posh and I say Father Christmas. I don't like Santa, it seems too American (despite its origins).

This is getting embarrassing.

The problem is that the "santa is american" people aren't in the least bit embarrassed by their sheer ignorance.

@LaurieMarlow And then they wonder why the Scots and Irish aren't all that impressed by them. It's really quite something. The smug tone of superiority of it all is always really depressing.

As is the widespread assumption that 'well I was always told' or 'well I don't know anyone who does' are actually decent arguments or reasonable positions to entrench yourself in (rather than an indication that you might need to learn more about the world - and even the culture of the country you live in).

@MindyStClaire 😂

Someone actually apologised? How many on the thread insisted they’ll continue to use the phrase “throwing a paddy” though 🤔 😁

The problem is that the "santa is american" people aren't in the least bit embarrassed by their sheer ignorance.

Yep

images.app.goo.gl/yTA6Ek4djyGX9Pwf8

Brexit in a thread.

The plucky Tommy didn't win the war to start calling it Santa 😂