AFTER CLAUDINE KEANE corrected herself from “Santy” to “Santa” on the Late Late Toy Show last Friday, it got us wondering. Is it Santa, or Santy?

On Twitter, the scales are firmly tipping towards ‘Santa’, with widespread derision for those who dare to use the other name.

There are those that imply that people who use ‘Santy’ are lacking an education:

Some think it’s down to where you live:

And some will judge anyone who says it, no matter where they’re from or how clever they are:

We also asked around the office to see what the feeling was – here are some of the answers we got:

I’m more of a Santa person because I’m terribly formal and conservative but I’ve been known to say Santy on occasion, after a few dry sherries.

I say Santa now, but when I was a young child in da hood I said Santy. I might bring it back into vogue this year though.

His name is Santa. Santy is a nickname. No one knows Santa well enough to call him Santy.

Overwhelmingly #TeamSanta, though there was one lone, dissenting voice on the #TeamSanty side:

SANTY. I said it as a child, and I’ll say it now (when around children).

Is “Santy” the name our hearts wish to call him, while our heads demand us to go with “Santa”? Or should we just grow up and call him Father Christmas?

The jury is still out folks.  And they could be out for a long, long time.

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