Santa vs father Christmas

[Blinkingheckythump]

I know it's totally unimportant and hence iabu but it really irks me that everything seems to be santa these days and not father Christmas. It was always father Christmas when I was growing up. I miss it! Why has it changed over time? I say father Christmas to the kids but they hear santa everywhere else so usually say santa themselves. Am I being unreasonable in wishing it was still father Christmas?!

Incase it needs clarifying, this is very lighthearted. I'm aware it's not really an issue

FC all the way here.

@Lesserspottedmama

It’s always been Father Christmas in my family. Santa makes me cringe but that’s only because of how DH’s relations pronounce it - without the t - rendering it an ugly butchered sound as they seem to do most words. Sa

We all have accents we like less than others, but I'd be furious if DH was talking like this about my family, just because of how they speak.

Father Christmas in my house! Lancashire parents, but raised in south west now living south east.

I don't really like Santa, it sounds a bit a bit American to me, also I associate father christmas as being slightly less religious and santa claus being st nicholas/more christian (we aren't Christians).

Ah! This thread again. Almost thought we weren't going to have this debate this year. Now I KNOW it's Christmas.

@Shadedog

Middle class NE Catholic -Santa/Santy

Father Christmas was for people who said “mum” and “bread roll” and “scone” instead of “scone”. Same as the people who pretend guising was never a thing because they personally didn’t spend 3 weeks every October dragging a scorched turnip around the street whilst dressed in a bin liner.

Hell yes! I can still smell it now, plastic from the bin bag, burned string and candle cooked turnip. Happy memories. We used to have street parties at Halloween with apple bobbing etc

@TrashyPanda we call a turnip a turnip here in NE England too

Definitely Father Christmas for me. And I live in the US, married to an American. Still can’t bring myself to say Santa.

I’ve noticed Father Christmas is starting to creep into vocabulary here.

How can 'Father Christmas' sound less 'religious' than Santa Claus? It literally has the word Christ in it.

I suspect you mean 'Catholic', not 'religious'.

@LovelyLupins, weirdly enough, Father Christmas sounds cartoonishly old fashioned English to me.

It's what Julian, Dick, Anne, and George (and probably Timmy too, if he could talk) would call good old Santa Claus.

I am Canadian with English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry (plus Finnish/Swedish). I was born in the 1950s. It has always been Santa Claus for me although I would know who Father Christmas probably was.

I don't think it had anything at all to do with Coca Cola, at all. Coke was not an item in my home. I don't remember ever having it as a child never mind changing the main Christmas symbol to coordinate with an ad.

@LakieLady, did you notice the 'Christ' part of Father Christmas?

I grew up with Santa I don't know anyone who says Father Christmas it sounds wrong