Santa or Father Christmas?!

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

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.

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

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.

Father Christmas in our house.

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.

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Another Santa Claus from a Scottish childhood here!

I went to Lewis's in Liverpool, to see Father Christmas in the 60's.

I just did a Christmas quiz somewhere which claimed Santa Claus originated in Turkey.

My DS when he was little called him Farmer Crim. It's stuck!

St Nicholas was Turkish I think

The historical Saint Nicholas was born at Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor (now Turkey).

Well, Lycian, now Turkey can claim him.

I have never taken my DGC to see a store Santa. Long ago, before the DGC were born, I recognised a store Santa as a rapist and paedophile, (his own daughters) known to me through work. I immediately informed the Police, who removed him from the store. The store itself was remarkably unconcerned.

Santa Claus here (or Santa for short). Scotland also. Even my English mother never called him Father Christmas, but she did come from the North-East of England.

Well done you, Granny23!

Father Christmas in our house too.