Santa or Father Christmas?!

Although, perhaps not.....

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7152054.stm

lemongrove oops! Whoosh!

This is a Victorian Christmas card, so the red suit predates Coke.

Woosh? What meanest thou?

The red suit was def from Coca-Cola ads but obviously red pre dates that, although I have seen several medieval pics of Father Christmas dressed in green robes witha holly wreath on his head, as a crown.
I think Father Christmas is an English and probably pagan
Creation, whereas Saint Nik is a later Christian version.
HO HO HO
They are both wonderful and I def believe in them.

When my nana used to take us to the Christmas grotto in Lewis's (yes, the apostrophe is in the correct place) in Manchester we only ever visited Father Christmas, never Santa Claus. He came to my notice later when he used to get stuck up the chimney.

Never anything but Santa Claus in my Irish then Scottish childhood. Father Christmas existed only in books, he wasn’t real.

baubles ! ?

Are you swearing?

Whoosh! means something going straight over your head! You see it a lot online when someone hasn't spotted a joke or taken sarcasm as a serious point. I try to avoid it, but I am but human and Queen of the Numpties!

I've seen Santa Claus in a green suit too in old pictures, again often Victorian. It's probably all down to Prince Albert introducing some of his country's traditions. I think he had something to do with the introduction of Valentine cards too.

Queen of the Numpties strikes again! I've just spotted the name of the poster before you. See what I mean?

Ah! Thanks for explanation, whoosh, I like it.

Santa Claus always in Scotland - always red coat and trousers didn't have coca cola when I was a child so how could that be. In fact I only remember the coke adverts from when my children were in their 20s now eldest 32.

Whoosh indeed Wilma
although I think that was Father Christmas/Santa Claus trying to see how fast he can whoosh around on Christmas Eve - just a practice run!

St Nicholas has his red outfit on here with a touch of green:

Granny Activist. When a child, the place to see Father Christmas (and Uncle Holly) was Lewis's in Birmingham. The grotto was on the 6th floor and the queue snaked down the stairs and around the building. It was the same for my eldest son, but not for his brother, 7 years younger.

Perhaps we stood in the queue together pensionpat

You are describing my childhood Christmas visit to Lewis’s in Glasgow, Pat. I went to see Santa Claus, of course. ??

Jalima I've had a bad day and it's showing tonight!

Except it's now yesterday!

We always said Santa Clause but now it seems to be Santa. Never Father Christmas.

As I child I did wonder if Father Christmas only delivered south of the border since it was always Santa Claus who worked the Scottish circuit! (Or in the vernacular Santy Claas! )
Definitely sounds more Scandinavian/Teutonic.

How interesting - I hadn't realised lots of Scots preferred Santa Claus! well, you learn something new every day

Just a note on the Coca-Cola point - I think they popularised a depiction that was painted by an artist on some Christmas cards several years before, so it's not thought that Coca-Cola actually created the image of the red-suited Father Christmas, but rather spread it. That's my understanding anyway!

Ah, I see quite a few people have beat me to the Coca-Cola point I shall shut up now

Always 'Father Christmas' here, and in a long hooded gown.
I don't mind 'Santa Claus' with its legitimate derivation from 'St Niklaus', but I'm not keen on the US-inspired garb of belted red tunic. Like pensionpat and others we were often taken to Selfridges in London to see Father Christmas and Uncle Holly (a rather Pickwickian-style character).

I wondered who this Uncle Holly bod was!

My now 3 year old grandson called him HoHoHo last year .

We are quite definitely working class northern (NW) but he was always Father Christmas when I was a child. When I met and married my North Eastern husband, I realised FC had an alter ego, Santy! My children used 'Santa' though. My daughter, can be heard warning her almost 3 year old, "Don't forget! Santa's watching!"

My English granny called him 'Father Christmas' but all the (Scottish) rest of the family used 'Santa Claus' as did all our friends and neighbours. Granny's 'Father Christmas' ornament wore a long white robe by contrast with the red-clad Santas of our experience. My Irish DiL also calls him 'Santa'.