Santa or Father Christmas?
 

The poll is mostly for people in the UK.
My entire life I called the big guy in the red suit Father Christmas. If I called him Santa I was told, mostly by my mum, "Father Christmas, we're not American."

That's how I grew up, even though in all movies I saw at the time he was called Santa Claus I knew that was the American name and in England we called him Father Christmas.

But more and more over the last few years I've heard people, in all kinds of places, referring to St Nick as Santa, without being corrected.
People on TV, friends and family, even stores are putting up a Santa's Grotto instead of a Christmas Grotto.
Even ITV will be holding a Text Santa charity event over Christmas.

I'm partially curious as to when the changeover happened and it became more acceptable to call Father Christmas by the American name of Santa Claus without being corrected.

Mostly I'm curious as to what name you commonly use. Do you say Father Christmas or do you say Santa?
Or something else?

Father Christmas, all the way!!

I was an elf at a grotto recently (don't ask) and kept saying Santa, when most of the kids parents said Father Christmas. I think Santa is just shorter so it's been adopted more readily but yeah, i had to really make an effort to say Father Christmas. I don't think I said Santa when I was little.

We've always used both terms interchangably.

Lol woo for such similar responses!

Santa Claus :)

I've always said Father Christmas and yesterday, my three year old niece corrected me and told me it's not Father Christmas, it's Santa. I suppose Santa is easier for her to say though so I'm going along with it to avoid confusing her.

Santa.

It's always been Santa up here in Scotland as far as I am aware.

For me it was always Father Christmas, but I don't mind santa; despite my overall hatred of Americanisms! :-P

I mostly used Father Christmas when I was little, but santa is shorter & easier so use them fairly equally now.
Have never come across a Christmas grotto, even when I was a kid they were always called Santa's grotto.

Sandy Claws.

It depends! I work in a nursery so depends what story we are reading or song we are singing them! In conversation I would usually say Father Christmas though my personal favourite is a little boy I work with who insists on calling him "Christmas Guy" which I think should catch on!

Haha, Christmas guy. Love it!

I usually say Father Christmas but occasionally Santa.

Father Christmas but typing wise I tend to say santa

I'm also Scottish and I've never heard anyone use Father Christmas.. Always Santa.

Santa is his name, Father Christmas is his title, we always called him Father Christmas.

Actually makes sense. :-)

We were told it was more respectful to call him father christmas and only naughty children called him santa, then as we got older, americans are all disrespectful because they call hhim santa, then as we got a little older, santa is the hundreds of pretend father christmases who dress up, father christmas is the one real one who brings your presents lol

He's The Big Red Guy That Eats A*L The Cookies And Drinks A*L The Milk.

Mike you big meanie :p

Milk? We always put brandy or whisky!

Do you think there are drink driving rules for sleighs?

Me? Never! :P

I'm not going to waste good drink on someone i've not even met!

Yes, yes there are.

We leave out a mince pie, a carrot and some milk because my parents don't drink really so never had brandy or whiskey in the house

All i have is vodka. And Father Christmas isn't getting his hands on that :plain:

Unless he gets me an aardvark, then i may consider it.

Santa or Santa Claus, but never Father Christmas.

Weihnachtsmann (= Christmas Man)
:P

In some parts of Germany they have the Weihnachtskind which is the Christmas Child.... Who is a girl!

Girl Santa? Madness!!

I lied slightly, it's actually called Christkindl but close enough.
Usually depicted as an angelic cherub, traditionally a girl.

That's true, we do that. I have some friends who don't get their presents from the Weihnachtsmann but from the Christkind!

In first school we did christmas round the world and i was chosen to read a passage about 'sinterklas' the dutch father christmas, being 7 or 8 I accidentally mis-read it the first time (at the audition...except we were called to try it out, no choice) and i read 'stinker-lass' the whole way through and my teacher didn't correct it til the end!

Is Santa Claus not the translation of St. Nicholas who was the first Santa - where ther tradition originated from? At least that's what I always thought so to me Father Christmas doesn't make sense. My mum has always said Santa Claus, even in her childhood and she is 93 (almost) and is Irish. Have I got it wrong?

Probably something like santa niclaus.