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?

Pure working class here. I grew up calling him Father Christmas 🎅🏻Still do.

Yeah, my parents, born and reared in the depths of rural Munster in the mid-1940s, decades before rural electrification hit there, were fierce Americanised altogether with their 'Santy'. I spent my childhood trying to get them to say 'Father Christmas', obviously, because it 'sounds nicer' to English people.

Fascinating thread.

My partner’s Grandad was born in Glasgow in 1901 and apparently referred to the Old Xmas guy as ‘Father Christmas’?! But maybe he just adopted the English name since he did move south of the border. I don’t think he would have experienced Father Christmas/Santa in his own childhood unfortunately.

It was always interchangeable between Santa and Father Christmas for my family- for my parents (English) he was Father Christmas but us kids had influences such as ‘Santa Claus the Movie’ to muddy the waters. It’s generational and geographical it seems.

I am quaite posh (but poor) and say Father Christmas. I do a little inward shudder if I have to say Santa.
HTH

Yeah, my parents, born and reared in the depths of rural Munster in the mid-1940s, decades before rural electrification hit there, were fierce Americanised altogether with their 'Santy'. I spent my childhood trying to get them to say 'Father Christmas', obviously, because it 'sounds nicer' to English people.

I've never ever met an Irish person describe themselves as posh. And I know a few high-falutin' Irish people. I don't think they'd refer to themselves as posh though. Love "highfalutin" the English don't say that much, maybe they should!

Identity politics is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

It's British/European vs American.
Full details in the article below:

mariechantalblog.com/2017/12/the-difference-between-santa-claus-and-father-christmas/

It's very American, crass and tacky.

It's like the perfect recipe for insulting tens of millions of people in six words on a completely innocuous topic. It's impressive in its own way I suppose.

Oh, and I'm not posh but grew up in South County Dublin, never heard anyone say Father Christmas.

For the love of all that is Christmas, my DM is American, as I said, and calls him Father Christmas. Or Saint Nick.

There really are no actual rules.

On the plus side the thread is nearly full for those of us too weak willed to slide the hide button on.

For the people claiming Santa Claus is originally Scots/Irish it can't originate there as the phrase is neither Gaelic nor English in origin.

As it comes from the Dutch it must have been either absorbed directly from Holland, or via the Dutch in the US through the Scots and Irish migrations there, possibly back in the nineteenth century.

It may be that Ireland and Scotland originally called him St Nicholas and that's why Santa Claus caught on as a diminutive more than in England.

This will remind all the Scots on here that Hallowe'en is apparently American and they imported it here in their commercial imperialism.

Any Irish person saying father christmas would get a stern look and reminded not to have notions.

For the people claiming Santa Claus is originally Scots/Irish it can't originate there as the phrase is neither Gaelic nor English in origin.

You will note that not one person has said this. They have merely pointed to a long tradition of Scottish and Irish usage considerably predating American English's domination of mass media.

Any Irish person saying father christmas would get a stern look and reminded not to have notions.

Unless they are Alan Stanford playing George in Glenroe. Does anyone else get a free pass on this?

You will note that not one person has said this.

There was one poster who did early on, which is why I referred to it.

David Norris, true.

@Shambu, I think it's fairly clear from the thread as a whole that the person who thinks this is (a) wrong and (b) unrepresentative.

My family are American and say Father Christmas.

Everyone in the US would know that Father Christmas is the same character as Santa but it is used far less commonly.

My grandad was born in the 1870’s in Scotland, guess what he called the man in question? My daughter was born in the 1990’s and says she’s only ever heard Santa in real life.

Just to put into the mix, that my 85 year old DM grew up in Waterford Southern Ireland , where they always said Daddy Christmas.

A couple of posters have made that claim, one in particular I was referring to. Whether it's representative is beside the point.