"Santa" is an Americanism - in the UK its "Father Christmas" isnt it?

[janmoomoo]

Or am I being pedantic?

Lol - just watching The Simpsons and Marge just said "Father Christmas - that's what they call Santa Claus in England".

so there you have it.

Actually up in NE Scotland, my ILs call him Sunty, but they are ridiculous.

Yes, we must all now defer to the ultimate authority, girls, Marge herself.

Did she say anything about his posthumous....

oh fgs it's Father Christmas.

I am originally from Welsh Wales.

I 'recoil' when i hear the word 'santa'

That's just silly, Bathsheba.

You should be ashamed of yourself mentioning that on a serious intellectualy thread like this

lol at my own spelling

So is that a majority decision then

Scotland - Santa
England - father Christmas
Wales (only 1 vote I think) - Father Christmas
Ireland (all of it?) Sunty

Recoil, mincepiratecat?

Are you a gun?

I am indeed deeply ashamed...

I'm sorry for mentioning Sunty and giving that nonsense airtime.

Sorry

It's more often Father Christmas in England in my experience (especially the more middle class you go.... Santa in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Santy in Ireland (where my DH is from - to me that sounds just so dim!). (I have lived in all four jusridictions so can of course offer a definitive conclusion). As to Wales, well I have no clue.

I much prefer Father Christmas myself.

Hello Swedehead!

Father Christmas in my family and always has been. My mother's English, my father's Welsh and ALL my relatives wherever they live say Father Christmas, not Santa. (Maybe because we haven't had any Scots in the family for about six generations.)

I know the legend of Saint Nicholas and the Dutch pronunciation but suspect FC is a survival from pagan midwinter festivals with a bit of Christianity thrown on top. Most Christian festivals were built on pagan roots, just like most ancient churches were stuck on pagan sites. Those early Christians were very practical and found it worked better to work with local customs to an extent.

My deepest sympathies to you, edam on your lack of Scottish relations.

A wee bit of Scottish blood might also help you lighten up

Santa always makes me think of that truly awful film with Sir Richard Attenborough :-(

Scots lighten anyone up? You must be mistaking them for someone else. Hardly known as little rays of sunshine, our Northern brethren.

My name is Scottish, as it happens, as great-great-lots-of-greats grandad saw the light and moved to Wales...

Actually, I think what bothers me about Scotland is that they think of Yorkshire as down South. It's all wrong!

You mean Yorkshire isn't south of Scotland?

Have I missed something in the posthumous evolution of the British Isles, girls?

Sandy Claws

You english pig dogs

but it's not 'down South'! That's London and Surrey and other such strange places.

Did you see that thread the other day proving that Edinburgh is further West than Bristol? The world's gone mad, I tell you, mad!

'up south' then?

Agree London & Surrey are strange, or at least they were when I met my English dh there

Only Sunty in the North. He was and always will be Santy to me.

Never ever Father Christmas - that's way too posh and there is a difficult couple of ths to be pronounced too so not worth it either way

It was Santa when I was growing up (Edinburgh), but now he's definitely Father Christmas (Surrey).

I'll let you off if you promise to just call it Yorkshire, with no geographical references at all. And return Edinburgh to the East, where I always thought it was.

And while you are about it, there are a few billion presents piling up that all need delivering in just one night...

Well, I had a lisp so it was Thanta who brought my pressies

it's santa you numpties scottish traits aye i revel in my ability to be biscuit-arsed.i can sook lemons too

Edinburgh is further West than Bristol, it's bizarre. The whole country is wonky.

I grew up thinking that he was called Father Christmas in England (and I assumed the rest of the UK, but apparently not). But Santa isn't, like, one of those bad Americanisms, y'know?