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Christmas

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I've only just learned that Father Christmas and Santa Claus are TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE

11 replies

00100001 · 11/12/2022 16:17

Santa Claus/Saint Nick/Kris Kringle- he's the present delivery guy

Father Christmas - spreads Christmas Spirit, news of Jesus etc

I mean, they're synonymous now, but they were two different people with different "jobs"
.I never knew that!

www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-santa-claus-and-father-christmas

OP posts:
snowmanshoes · 11/12/2022 16:44

They’re the same in my house is all I know 😁

pinneddownbytabbies · 11/12/2022 17:26

Well you could knock me down with a feather.

PestorPeston · 11/12/2022 17:48

Old Father Christmas is a character in Mummer plays. Mummers have been around since the Thirteenth century.
blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2018/12/in-comes-i-old-father-christmas-surprising-history-of-a-christmas-icon/

Old Father Christmas seems to have appeared in the early 17th century when the English government tried to ban Christmas.

mam0918 · 11/12/2022 18:57

I get bothered by the fact that people think Santa Claus/Father Christmas is the same as St Nick.

St. Nick is a REAL person who left money in stockings. Same as Saint Patrick, Saint David, Saint Francis etc...

Father Christmas (also interchangable with the name 'Santa Claus' hense the confusion) is a modern addition of a magical legend that lives at the north pole, flys on reindear, has magic 'elf' helpers and has litrally fuck all to do with or in common with Saint Nicholas.

He is instead based of the pre-christian eastern christmas demon Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, the father of the 'Ice Queen' which is the basis of Frozen and the grandfather of the famous 'Jack Frost') and wasn't even a thing in the western world until about 200 year ago.

I just see zero reason the two things get mixed up, it kind of like confusing the Easter Bunny with Jesus because they are both 'easter things', one was a real person remembered (even if your not religeous and dont believe in the son of god thing there a fair amount to say a guy called Jesus did actually exist like any Saint) and the other just a magical kids story.

BoobsOnTheMoon · 11/12/2022 19:02

mam0918 · 11/12/2022 18:57

I get bothered by the fact that people think Santa Claus/Father Christmas is the same as St Nick.

St. Nick is a REAL person who left money in stockings. Same as Saint Patrick, Saint David, Saint Francis etc...

Father Christmas (also interchangable with the name 'Santa Claus' hense the confusion) is a modern addition of a magical legend that lives at the north pole, flys on reindear, has magic 'elf' helpers and has litrally fuck all to do with or in common with Saint Nicholas.

He is instead based of the pre-christian eastern christmas demon Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost, the father of the 'Ice Queen' which is the basis of Frozen and the grandfather of the famous 'Jack Frost') and wasn't even a thing in the western world until about 200 year ago.

I just see zero reason the two things get mixed up, it kind of like confusing the Easter Bunny with Jesus because they are both 'easter things', one was a real person remembered (even if your not religeous and dont believe in the son of god thing there a fair amount to say a guy called Jesus did actually exist like any Saint) and the other just a magical kids story.

Ok, but Santa Claus literally means St Nicholas (Niklaus)... St Nick and Santa Claus are the same legendary figure.

Father Christmas on the other hand is a different person altogether.

Fairislefandango · 11/12/2022 19:06

Yes, Santa Claus is just a bastardisation of the Dutch Sinter Klaas, short for Sint Niklaas - i.e. Saint Nicholas. Same guy.

UndertheCedartree · 11/12/2022 19:49

St.Niklaas brings sweets and biscuits when a shoe is left out on 5th December. He is tall and slim, wearing bishop robes of red and green. He arrives on a horse from Spain.

(Kris Kringle actually comes from Christkindl (Christ child) who is the gift giver in some traditions.)

Father Christmas is the fat jolly old man, in a red and white fur suit who flies in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He brings gifts to children who leave a stocking out on 24th December.

This is out take on it. My DC are half Dutch so to them St.Niklaas and Father Christmas are 2 different people - St. Niklaas being the Dutch tradition and Father Christmas the English.

UndertheCedartree · 11/12/2022 19:52

So I don't really agree with that article at all! I mean you only have to look at Raymond Brigg's Father Christmas to see what Father Christmas is actually like! ☺️

CoolShoeshine · 11/12/2022 20:20

In my mind Father Christmas was believed in by ‘70s and ‘80s kids but has now been superseded by Santa Claus courtesy of US Christmas movie culture.

GettingStuffed · 11/12/2022 20:22

I've taught my grandson that Santa delivers the presents. But father Christmas is the one who lets you feel christmassy

00100001 · 12/12/2022 06:55

CoolShoeshine · 11/12/2022 20:20

In my mind Father Christmas was believed in by ‘70s and ‘80s kids but has now been superseded by Santa Claus courtesy of US Christmas movie culture.

Funnily enough there way survey done a few years ago about that

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2017/12/06/it-father-christmas-or-santa-claus

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