Santa Claus

'   Saturday, October 11, 2003, 03:23 GMT
Is true that americans are the only people who call Santa Claus, Santa Claus, is it true that all other places either say Saint Nick, Father Christmas or Kriss Kringel
wassabi   Saturday, October 11, 2003, 04:27 GMT
yep, well, except canada calls it santa claus usually, other people call it saint nick, every so often. not to offend anyone though, but notice how when you rearrange santa, you come up with the opposite word you want to?
mjd   Saturday, October 11, 2003, 07:21 GMT
I thought they say something like Santa Claus in Holland....Sinterklaas, or something like that.
A.S.C.M.   Saturday, October 11, 2003, 18:59 GMT
In all English-speaking countries except the U.S. and Canada, Father Christmas and Santa Claus are used interchangeably, usually without preference for one word over the other.
Kiwi   Sunday, October 12, 2003, 12:54 GMT
In New Zealand people only say Santa Claus. I've only ever heard Christmas/Saint Nick on TV.

By the way, is santa claus a corruption of saint nicholas?

saint nicholas
sant nicholas
santa 'cholas
santa claus
A.S.C.M.   Sunday, October 12, 2003, 17:55 GMT
To Kiwi, also to mjd:

Santa Claus is a corruption of Sinterklaas, which, as mjd mentioned, is Dutch for St. Nicholas. I presume this corruption first sprang up in New York (a.k.a. New Netherland).