Santa or Father Christmas?!

Granny23 that is terrible, so glad you were aware.

I don't think that most 'Santas' (not the real Father Christmas) would have a child to sit on their knee nowadays. DGD saw Father Christmas today but he chatted to her as she stood in front of him - they had quite a conversation!

Although I said it was Santa Claus in Scotland when I was little (East Coast), I now spend Christmas on the West Coast and nearly everyone says Santa. I'm not sure if the children even know Santa is the shortened version of Santa Claus. I must admit it is easy to just say Santa. Father Christmas just doesn't roll off my tongue easily!

Unfortunately causes much confusion for my little one. She lives in the East of England and everyone around there says Santa, even at nursery. The family all call him Father Christmas as does she.

He's always been Father Christmas here. I did once read somewhere - don't know how true it is - that he became Father Christmas rather than Santa Claus around the time of WW1, since 'Claus' sounded 'too German'.
Would make sense IMO.

I do particularly love Raymond Briggs' grumpy old FC - someone gave a dd that book for Christmas when she was very small - IMO it's not at all ideal for small children - but I laughed so much my mother said I'd set my baby off - I was about 7 months pregnant at the time!

I read an article recently, sorry can't remember in which newspaper, which claimed that it was a class thing. Middle and upper classes tend to say "Father Christmas", lower classes "Santa Claus!"
So now you know! (what do the Middleton family call him do you think?)

Oh, Lord, the 'class' thing seems to come into everything.

There's a thread about it on mumsnet - seems to be more a regional thing, if anything. Just about everyone Scottish says he's always been Santa there.

I suspect that the reason why Scots use Santa Claus is that Christmas was not celebrated in Scotland to the extent it has always been celebrated in England. Father Christmas wouldn't have meant anything to my parents' generation when they were children. 'A guid New Year', however.....!

Santa.

As a small child my parents used the term Father Christmas but I use the term Santa and the majority of the under twenty seem to. I think because of Christmas movies on TV which I love.

annodomini I have never understood why people say that about Scotland. To the best of my knowledge Christmas has always been a big deal in Scotland. Where Scotland might have been a bit different decades ago though, is that perhaps Christmas was originally more about the children and New Year was more about the adults. But as someone who lived in Scotland until I was a teenager and then moved to England, both were very much family holidays - and we never had much money in Scotland.

My mother, a pure Cockney, married my father in the late 1950s and went to live in south west Scotland.

She told me she was horrified when he was all set to work on Christmas Day. It just wasn't a big thing way back then. But New Year's Eve was a different matter.

She soon put a stop to him working Christmas Day

she was lucky she could put a stop to him workinghurdyGurdy it was very much the norm then and empoyers didn't give the option to not work.It was certainly mid sixties before my dad was at home all christmas day ,before that he would work in the morning and always a full day christmas eve and boxing day.New Year has always been a public holiday,thats why so many people married on New Years day ,it was the one day they could all depend on having off work

My father (born in 1923) said that New Year was a much bigger deal in Scotland than Christmas when he was a boy, and a lot of his friends got their presents on New Year's Day, not Christmas Day, although it must have been changing then, as I think he got his on Christmas Day.

I remember getting post on Christmas Day, but I assume that Royal Mail was probably the same all over the UK.

During my childhood (late 40's, early 50's) many men worked on Christmas day. My Dad worked a 3 shift rota so Santa sometimes arrived late and sometimes very early. Christmas Lunch/Dinner was a moveable feast. Teatime if he was night shift or day shift, lunchtime if he was backshift. Maternal granny and Aunt always joined us, The day was entirely geared towards the children.

New Year was the big party for the grown-ups with lots of 1st footing, drink, music and dancing, often till 6 or 7 in the morning. When we eventually got up we walked to my Gran's (DF's DM) for Broth, Steak Pie , Ice Cream and fruit dinner. There we got our gifts from Gran and Uncle. They were originally from Aberdeenshire and did not celebrate at Christmas.

I grew up in rural Cumberland (when it was a county), and we always called that magical man Santa Claus, never just Santa. My DC called him Santa Claus too. We knew nothing of Americanisms in the '50's.
The Christmas of 1962/63 when we had all that snow, my Dad said he'd ordered snow for Christmas! Well it started snowing on Christmas Eve, so heavily that he was called upon to go to work. He worked at Spadeadam, and was the only person licensed to drive the snow blower. He took overnight clothes and was hoping to be back in the morning. He was marooned there for five days! Needless to say, he never ordered snow for Christmas ever again!

When I was growing up in Dundee in the 60s and 70s, the only place my Dad went to on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day was the pub! It was early closing, but the men went out for a drink. Mind you it was years before I realised when my Dad said he was going to church that he was actually going to the pub!

Well, I guess it was his way of celebrating, Wilma! Lol!

But what difference does it make what anyone calls that "jolly old elf," ladies? Father Christmas, FC, Santa Claus, Santa, Santy, St. Nicholaus, Kris Kringle - they're all about the spirit of giving, as well as caring for children. That's the important thing, imo.

Starlady it was because it's what most, if not all the men did. I don't think they got drunk, it was more of a break from the excited children at home. My Mum was used to it and it gave her a chance to get on in the kitchen. I honestly don't remember watching much TV on Christmas Day. When I was older Top of the Pops would be on until the dinner was ready. I've still never watched the Queen's speech. The TV probably stayed off until the evening. We always had grandparents, aunts and uncles for dinner and tea, so it was very much about family. None of my family had a car, so everyone came and stayed into the evening and had a drink. Cards would come out and the adults would play and the children would play with their presents. I only have good memories of Christmas. New Year was a different kettle of fish. Good times.