Santa or Father Christmas?!

Another Santa Claus from a Scottish childhood here!

We use both terms but I prefer Father Christmas myself. So many songs, poems, films etc. mention the name Santa; it's impossible to get away from it. I do believe it was Coca Cola who originated the red suited garb as part of their advertising campaign. Before that, St Nicholas was always depicted in long flowing fur edge robes in green or blue mostly.

Father Christmas in our family, but "Jultomten" here in Sweden.

Father Christmas was (and is) the personification of Christmas and was part of English folklore long before St Nicholas came into the picture. There's a very comprehensive explanation of FC on wiki.
It's only in the past century and a half that the two images of FC and SC have been conflated and confused.

Lewis's in Glasgow was just as good as yours in Birmingham, by far the best Santa Claus in town. My sister and I firmly believed, however, that he wasn't the real Santa Claus, as after all he could not be in all the big department stores in Glasgow at the same time!

We knew he could get all round the world between bedtime on Christmas Eve and the unholy hour we woke up at on Christmas Day, though.

I'm with Wilma Knickersfit on this one. Santa Claus in the West of Scotland and in Edinburgh where my grandparents came from too. We all thought Father Christmas was an English thing.

St. Nicholas is rarely mentioned in Scandinavia, as all the Scandanavian countries are predominantly protestant. The few catholic parishes and schools who celebrate his feast day (Dec. 6th) have him dressed in Bishop's vestments, but usually with a red cope. In Germany and Holland he is definitely dressed in vestments and with a red cope.

Father Christmas always when we were kids! I dont like Santa Claus. GC always say FC.

henetha please explain about the reindeer already at your house, we need to know which one it is! and why it is there so soon.

Always F.C. for us, although the grand kids do try the Santa from US videos but get short shift if they don’t know that it stands for Saint Nicholas, which most don’t

In my famiky its always been, and still is, Father Christmas. Even to the GC (although the older ones know santa is the American name for the same person. ) didn't realise Santa Clause was so prevalent in Scotland and NE England!

I used to go to Lewis's in Birmingham too!!

Always Santa or Santa Claus here in Scotland. Father Christmas is very English.

Up in Scotland it was always Santa Claus but come to think of it I've not heard him called that for a while just Santa.

Father Christmas in our house.

Definitely Father Christmas to me and my family. And I'm fully expecting a visit from him soon.. One of his reindeers is here already.

I'm from the South but now live in Eat Midlands and it's always been Father Christmas to me and my family.

Another Scot here so he was always Santa Claus to us - except that my father corrupted his name to 'Sanity Clause' declaring that we all went mad at this time of year, and the name stuck in the family.

Can't agree with you more smithy Santa here in the northeast but santy sets my teeth on edge can't stand it

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'.

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 now 3 year old grandson called him HoHoHo last year .

I wondered who this Uncle Holly bod was!

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).

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

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!