Father Christmas or Santa?

[NCTDN]

Not sure if its just me, but Santa seems so Americanised. It's always been father Christmas in our house but I think we're in the minority?

Father Christmas.

I especially don't like the drawn out Seeeaaaaaannnnaaa.

I usually say Father Christmas, dh usually says Santa, dd says either! I don't think it's Americanised, just different traditions.

This is sooooooo boring and there are at least 75 of these a year. You are not unique in preferring Father Christmas or being a self-righteous twat

Scottish born and bred here - always been Santa for me growing up. Father Christmas does seem to be an English thing.

Also...you know that Santa Claus is just an evolution of St Nicholas right? Nothing 'American' about that

It was always father christmas for me growing up in the midlands in the 80s and 90s, and I feel like that's what he was referred to in the wider community as well. My children are nearly 6, and probably default to saying santa more than FC, despite both me and DH referring to him exclusively as father christmas.

@MajorCarolDanvers , Siôn Corn.

My kids use the names interchangeably

Having recently listened to Bill Bryson’s ‘The Secret History of Christmas’ where he goes into great depth regarding the origins of St Nicolas and his modern US/ UK contrivance I would say now it makes absolutely no sense being even remotely concerned about what he’s called. Both names are relatively modern and created by someone trying to sell you something.

I LOVED all the things St Nick is patron saint of, including pirates 😂

The name Santa absolutely has its origins in America though. Can’t remember why we call him Father Christmas in the UK now. I must have a re listen, it’s a really good audio documentary (free if you subscribe to audible).

This again. He's Santa's in Scotland and the NE of England. Maybe some other parts of Northern England too and Ireland. The rest of you call him Father Christmas.

Interchangeable. It was when I was little in our house, too. London Mum said FC, Irish Fad said ‘Santy’.

I'm English, I say Santa but my parents always say Father Christmas which I think sounds terribly formal!

It's funny how snobbish some people are on here about anything they think is American.

Always been Santa and I'm 32. Midlands

Father Christmas

I'm Scottish and it's always been Santa for my 40-something years.

Whenever I heard someone say Father Christmas on TV when I was a child I didn't realise they were the same thing and always imagined him to be a much stricter and less jolly character than Santa. No idea why. 😂

And is there a Mother Christmas instead of Mrs Claus, or is Santa married and Father Christmas single? 😁

Father Christmas, always!

Santa sounds so naff!

As a child growing up it was always Father Xmas but much prefer Santa.

Father Christmas!

I'm Irish so it's always Santa. Father Christmas is like saying poorly instead of sick or ill, just something I would never say. Very Enid Blyton as someone said above.

Really just place marking as it's the first one I've seen this year

Northern Irish and I’ve never heard a single person say Santy 😂

it’s Santa!

Father Christmas is very ‘english’

I'm central belt in Scotland and the only person who I've ever heard say Santy / Santy Claus was my Great Aunt who would be 97 if she was still living..

Makes me think it might have been an old expression.

Definitely Father Christmas, it bugs me all the grottos are ‘Santas’

You're lucky.
We've already had several of the <shudder, Santa is so American> threads.
(As pp have said, neither FC or SC are inherently British English or American English- SC has been used in both countries since the late 19th century, and popularity of usage for both was more or less equal in both countries with SC always having the edge. Modern corpus lexical linguistics (the empirical study of how often words and phrases appear in everyday spoken and written language) is beginning to show that FC is heading towards being classified as an archaism.)

Nope.

Santa (or possibly Santy) Im Irish and live in north England near Scotland... Father Christmas sounds so formal and stuffy to me.

Thing is Santa Claus (as in the magic man in a red suit) as he exists in the UK is inherantly American, they started the whole huge trend for him (its very interesting if you research it).

Problem with the name is Santa Claus is often linked to Saint Nick due to Santa meaning Saint and Claus being taken as a deminutive of Nicolas and the two however have nothing in common... St. Nick was a real man who gifted money to the poor and Santa is a magical deity who can do impossible things.

The longest predecessor of the modern magic man we celebrate is the russian 'demon' Ded Moroz which dates back pre-christianity... his name translates as Grandfather Frost so I guest name wise 'Father Christmas' is closer to the original than mislabling this snowy wizard as as St. Nick.

Dispite the logical of researching and knowing these things I still just find Father Christmas uncomfortable and hard to say, it doesnt flow off the tounge... I think I would rather say Grandfather Frost that Father Christmas as an alternative to the established 'Santa' but I tend to just say Santa as thats what everyone here says.