why is he called santa?

[funkychicken]

why is it that these days father christmas is always called santa claus?

[Drusilla]

Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch, St. Nicholas(Sint Nikolaas). The name was shortened to Sinter Klaas and then anglicised in the USA to Santa Claus.
The name has travelled around the world as a result of American films, TV programmes and advertising.
Sadly, my younger daughter, aged 6, decided this very week not to believe in Father Christmas/Santa Claus and i'm the one who's upset!!

[jno]

yes, just Americanism taking over the world

[Dkeyse]

A lot of it is to do with the mad PC brigade! They would like a Father and Mother Christmas. These sad people do not even like children sitting on Santa's lap, as he may have paedophile tendences! Oh, what a sad world we now live in?

[Pheasant]

It is also a sad fact that the current incarnation of father Christmas/Santa Claus is also down to the Americans. Up until the late 1800's he was traditionally dressed in green, but in a Christmas advertising campaign, Coca-Cola decided to deck him out in their corporate colours, Red and White. So, sadly, father christmas is another product from the Coca-Cola Corporation.

[Jake1]

Thats just a legend pheasant.

Although some versions of the Santa Claus figure still had him attired in various colors of outfits past the beginning of the 20th century, the jolly, ruddy, sack-carrying Santa with a red suit and flowing white whiskers had become the standard image of Santa Claus by the 1920s, several years before Sundlom drew his first Santa illustration for Coca-Cola. As The New York Times reported on 27 November 1927