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.

@Pigeoninthehouse

*Nope. Was Santa all the way in the part of the uk where I grew up and my gran would be 120 this year and she called him Santa too.

Not a thing to do with American movies.

The ignorance shown on this thread is astounding.*
Santa is in wide spread use now because of American films. I grew up in the northwest (England) it was father Christmas in my childhood, kids now say santa (UK wide) because of the steady creep of Americanisms into British culture, its not because we've decided to pay homage our European Ancestry.

Here's a thing that you'll find hard to grasp.

Just because YOU didn't say Santa until you started hearing it on films, doesn't mean nobody else did either.

You're wrong anyway. And offensively xenophobic and ignorant. Try educating yourself.

Can we say it is a Dutch important?

Why are so many English people finding it so hard to grasp that there are cultural differences between the home nations?

Does using the phrase ‘Father Christmas’ as a child somehow cause profound ignorance in the speaker when they become and adult?

Lol. ‘an adult’.

@Pigeoninthehouse

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

Succinct, and to the point.

*Here's a thing that you'll find hard to grasp.

Just because YOU didn't say Santa until you started hearing it on films, doesn't mean nobody else did either.

You're wrong anyway. And offensively xenophobic and ignorant. Try educating yourself*

You are accusing me of exactly the thing that you are doing.
I have not denied that other people from different parts of the UK may have grown up with santa, as opposed to my FC, its clearly entirely regional what you say.
I am saying that santa is now in common use across the WHOLE OF THE UK because we have adopted a lot of americanisms. Maybe nothing has changed where you grew up, but santa wasn't in common usage in my part of the world when I was a child, its is now because of American pop culture.

@thatsallineed

Succinct, to the point, and WRONG. As many on the thread have confirmed.

@PilesEdgeworth. Certainly would seem so. It definitely scars them in some bizarre psychological way that turns them into anti-American idiots believing that if they don't say it, it doesn't exist.

@Pigeoninthehouse

*Here's a thing that you'll find hard to grasp.

Just because YOU didn't say Santa until you started hearing it on films, doesn't mean nobody else did either.

You're wrong anyway. And offensively xenophobic and ignorant. Try educating yourself*

You are accusing me of exactly the thing that you are doing.
I have not denied that other people from different parts of the UK may have grown up with santa, as opposed to my FC, its clearly entirely regional what you say.
I am saying that santa is now in common use across the WHOLE OF THE UK because we have adopted a lot of americanisms. Maybe nothing has changed where you grew up, but santa wasn't in common usage in my part of the world when I was a child, its is now because of American pop culture.

Are capital letters an American thing too? Is that why you refuse to use them?

Could you explain how I've been xenophobic and ignorant btw? (A good dictionary will come in handy first)

Maybe time to put this one to bed and have a gin? (Another Dutch important!!)

@dementedpixie

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

And the OP has mentioned that "Santa" has returned "American" and "vulgar".

Father Christmas or Santa? The real problems are the OP's lack of manners.

*Are capital letters an American thing too? Is that why you refuse to use them?

Could you explain how I've been xenophobic and ignorant btw? (A good dictionary will come in handy first)*

So the xenophobic comment hasn't got any mileage in it, so you're going for condenscending twat instead ?

@Minorissue

Oh good, more American bashing.

No shit.

This thread made me lol. Love that on Christmas evening people are debating the big issues on mumsnet 😂

@tttigress

I think it is more of a generation things.

Samiklaus went to America as a German immigrant, then returned to Europe as Santa Claus via American movies.

I think before say the 1980s, in the UK it was Father Christmas all round.

I think you

A) haven’t read the thread
B) don’t know what you are talking about.

Unless by U.K. you mean “parts of England”

Maybe nothing has changed where you grew up, but santa wasn't in common usage in my part of the world when I was a child,

Where is this place?

Why are so many English people finding it so hard to grasp that there are cultural differences between the home nations?

I'd like to know too?

@pluggee

Maybe nothing has changed where you grew up, but santa wasn't in common usage in my part of the world when I was a child,

Where is this place?

Try a few posts up. HTH

We had no money and called him father christmas, so yabu

I grew up in London & most people used Santa but most people I knew including myself were 2nd gen immigrants.

@speakout

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.

Yeah I'm spending Christmas with my very posh relatives and they all say Santa.

@Pigeoninthehouse

*Nope. Was Santa all the way in the part of the uk where I grew up and my gran would be 120 this year and she called him Santa too.

Not a thing to do with American movies.

The ignorance shown on this thread is astounding.*
Santa is in wide spread use now because of American films. I grew up in the northwest (England) it was father Christmas in my childhood, kids now say santa (UK wide) because of the steady creep of Americanisms into British culture, its not because we've decided to pay homage our European Ancestry.

You are wrong. Unless you think Scotland isn’t part of the uk? (Debate for another day perhaps). And the man in the big red suits is also Santa or Santy in Ireland (which I know is not part of the UK).

It’s not a class thing, it’s a regional one.

We’re down south and say Father Christmas. Our relatives up north and in north Wales say Santa. I think Santa is becoming more commonly used though, it always seemed to be Father Christmas years ago, but that may just be because of where I lived.

You are wrong. Unless you think Scotland isn’t part of the uk? (Debate for another day perhaps). And the man in the big red suits is also Santa or Santy in Ireland (which I know is not part of the UK)
Of course i know that Scotland is part of the UK.
What people say is obviously regional and cultural, but globalisation has homogenised a lot of the regional differences. So what was father christmas for me in my working class English upbringing is now santa, for kids growing up in similar circumstances.
Why is me stating that I grew up saying father christmas, diminishing other people that grew up with Santa, santa claus, Santy ?
I have not at any point stated my experience is the only truth.

@Pigeoninthehouse

“Santa is in wide spread use now because of American films.”

Nope. In the part of the uk I’m from it has always been Santa that has been and indeed still is in widespread use.

Nope. In the part of the uk I’m from it has always been Santa that has been and indeed still is in widespread use.
Note the bit about 'wide spread use now meaning its not just confined to certain regions.
Why do you think santa is in common use now across the WHOLE OF THE UK and not just Scotland and Ireland ?