Is using "Father Christmas" vs "Santa" a class signifier?

[Flapjacker48]

Upper/upper middle - use "Father Christmas"

Working/lower middle - "Santa"

The "Santa" we use in the UK today is almost an original European export to American and has come back as a tackier and vulgar Santa.

Yes, probably.

What's your AIBU?

Grew up saying father Christmas, from working class background
Santa American import.

The obsession (some) people on MN have with class boggles my mind.

FYI I use both Santa and FC so I am clearly having an identity crisis or something.

Working class background here and we used Santa. BUT we're Scottish, and I always considered Father Christmas to be more of an English thing!

I’m Scottish and grew up with Santa, never F C and I’m pretty posh.

Snap!

Always Santa in Scotland
Are you saying we're lower class?

No. It's a regional thing. Nobody in Scotland, Ireland or NE England would say Father Christmas.

We have this thread every year and it just shows up the ignorance of some posters about the country they live in.

No, it’s not. I said Father Christmas growing up, and only really started saying Santa after I lived in Scotland for a bit. Now I use them interchangeably.

We’re as working class as they come (dad was a miner) and he was always Father Christmas.

I think we must have some long forgotten Germanic/Scandi roots in our family because we have ‘family’ traditions that were always seen as weird when I was small, but come from those counties when I’ve read about different traditions.

@Bilingualspingual I have a circle of Scottish friends in Edinburgh (not incomers), middle class and all use Father Christmas.

I’ve always said Father Christmas.

Santa’s an American thing.

We always said fc and we were wc growing up

Now We use both interchangably and dh’s family were definitely mc!

@dementedpixie I have a circle of Scottish friends in Edinburgh (not incomers), middle class and all use Father Christmas.

@dementedpixie

Always Santa in Scotland Are you saying we're lower class?

Think there is a definite air of that isn't there? London-centric posters sneering at the "provinces" and assuming everyone north of about Warwick is lower class. Bower much you have people from very working class backgrounds in Liverpool or wherever saying they grew up with Father Christmas.

I say Father Christmas but have no objection to the DDs calling him Santa.

Whichever indicates a higher class, that's what I say. 😉

[quote Flapjacker48]@Bilingualspingual I have a circle of Scottish friends in Edinburgh (not incomers), middle class and all use Father Christmas.[/quote]
Edinburgh native, born and bred. Always Santa.

Father Christmas sound stuck up and not 'with the times'. We're not posh but not some poor country cousins either. Santa is more contemporary and we're happy to refer to the magic man as such .

Wasn't there room on the other threads about this I will defend Santa for the rest of Christmas. Scottish Irish some English ,Welsh and Americans etc etc call him Santa now I've no idea of their "class" but I hope this clears up for you merry Christmas

No, plenty of 'posh' people in Scotland have always used Santa and Father Christmas was always seen as more English. Not sure your friendship circle is a representative sample! As others have said, this query has come up before on MN with the regional differences bring pointed out many times.

No- there is a huge regional aspect to it too.
I have some pretty posh relatives- including a Duke and Duchess, but they are Scottish and always call him Santa Claus.

Scottish family all say santa. English southern part of family say father christmas. I say both, kids say santa. I couldnt give a rats arse either way

Oh God , again ! hides thread .

@Pigeoninthehouse

Grew up saying father Christmas, from working class background Santa American import.

This, exactly.

Father Christmas = British
Santa = Americanism that is now popular in the UK