Is it 'Santa Claus' or 'Father Christmas'? Have your say

Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.

Much to (some) people's annoyance, it often seems like the English language continues to absorb more and more Americanisms.

Maybe Britons can be a bit snobby about the issue - language is, of course, fluid and constantly evolving.

But it is perhaps this time of year when one of the most common Americanisms used in the UK bubbles to the surface - Santa!

While as a nation, we're unlikely to start writing "color" or saying "sidewalk" any time soon, polling by YouGov suggests the American term for the jolly bearded fellow who delivers presents to children on Christmas Eve is becoming more popular.

A survey by the polling company from last year suggested the more traditional name of "Father Christmas" was used by 43% of the country – down by 8% from 2017.

Meanwhile, the more American term of "Santa" was up by 9%, with 45% of those surveyed saying they used that name the most.

There's a clear generational split, with 62% of 18 to 24 year olds – perhaps more exposed to American media and pop culture – saying they used Santa more often, compared to 21% for Father Christmas.

As for people aged 65 and over, Father Christmas is still the clear favourite, with 60% of this age group favouring Father Christmas, and 25% preferring Santa.

However, the data still suggested Father Christmas is falling out of fashion among both age brackets, in just one example of the English language gradually changing over time.

But how about you? Which term do you find yourself using these days? Or do you go for something completely different? How much does it matter anyway? Let us know in the polls below.

This poll has now closed

Come back on Friday to read the results and analysis via the link below.

Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles