History Comicbook / FatherChristmas

* DidNotDoTheResearch: Several in-universe examples: Aside from being recognised as who he is late into his stays at each location, he didn't expect various other hitches:
*** He didn't expect that the fancy restaurants in France had no chips or table sauces, nor that the food would have a very unfriendly effect on his stomach.
*** He also didn't expect the weather in Scotland was often bad nor that the lochs were freezing cold; and that the one he did take a dip in had a shark swimming around in it.

* DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch:
** A meta example: "Blooming" is an outdated slang term for "bloody".
** Several in-universe examples: Aside from being recognised as who he is late into his stays at each location, he didn't expect various other hitches:

* AcidRefluxNightmare: Father Christmas has one of these after eating an incredibly high-fat meal on his first night in France.

* BadSanta: Well, not really ''bad'', but less squeaky-clean and relentlessly jolly than most portrayals. In this story, Father Christmas is more of [[GrumpyOldMan a gruff and curmudgeonly old man]] with a sarcastic streak and vices like gambling, drinking and smoking, but he's still [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold very good-hearted deep down and truly loves both his job and making children happy]].

* BlandNameProduct: Father Christmas uses an "UXO" tin (parodying OXO) for his snack box during his Christmas run.

*** He didn't expect that the fancy restuarants in France had no chips or table sauces nor that the food would have a very unfriendly effect on his stomach.
*** He also didnt expect the weather in Scotland was often bad nor that the lochs were freezing cold (and that the one he did take a dip in had a shark swimming around in it).
* DirtyOldMan: At one point Father Christmas has a dream where he's back at the Las Vegas hotel swimming pool being surrounded by curvy young ladies in bikinis.

* FrenchCuisineIsHaughty: When Father Christmas is on holiday in France, he is indignant that they don't have chips or bottled table sauces that he can put on his food; he nonetheless makes the best of it. Later on (in the book), he goes to a cafe for breakfast and is disgusted when all they'll give him is a croissant and a cup of coffee.

* LeavingFoodForSanta: ''Father Christmas'' has Father Christmas getting rather tipsy on all the sherry that the children leave out for him (in Britain, it's traditional to give Santa a mince pie and a sherry to keep him going, and a carrot for his reindeer). Averted in the animated adaptation: he leaves the treats untouched, thinking about his weight.

* BadSanta: Well, not really ''bad'', but less squeaky-clean and relentlessly jolly than most portrayals. In this story, Father Christmas is more of a gruff and curmudgeonly old man with a sarcastic streak and vices like gambling, drinking and smoking, but [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he's still very good-hearted deep down and loves his job]].

* {{Bowdlerisation}}: When the film was released in America, Father Christmas was given a new voice actor and made less grumpy and more jolly (and more posh) to better fit American sensibilites (and for family audiences). Also all traces of the word "bloomin'" were removed.

* DrunkenMontage: A rather light-hearted one ensues when Santa takes refuge from the Scottish rain in a friendly local pub and has a merry time getting progressively more squiffy with a bagpiping Scotsman until he staggers back to his sleigh-turned-camper. He's very, very hung over the next morning.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Briggs' father appears in the background as a milkman. He later starred in his own graphic novel and movie, ''WesternAnimation/EthelAndErnest''.
* EiffelTowerEffect: Notably averted when he's abroad, but when delivering presents, he flies past a number of landmarks in London, including the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_Tower BT Tower]] (which he nearly crashes into), the Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower (Big Ben), Nelson's Column, Pall Mall on approach to Buckingham Palace, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachy_Head_Lighthouse Beachy Head Lighthouse]] in East Sussex.

* ForeignQueasine: Averted, then played straight, then averted again: Father Christmas orders everything on the menu when he's in France, even though everything is "a la creme" -- served with a cream sauce, or otherwise containing cream (such as his coffee.) It's all delicious, but he gets terrible indigestion. Later on, in Scotland (in the book at least), he cheerfully tucks into a plate of haggis.

* FriendToAllChildren: The reason why despite all the complaining Father Christmas has about his job, he does it every year-he loves the kids.

* GoodIsNotNice: Father Christmas isn't always the most polite, approachable chap, but there's no question his [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart]] is ultimately in the right place.
* GrumpyOldMan: Father Christmas.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Father Christmas may act like a gruff, snappish old crank at times but he loves what his job means for the world's children.

* SameLanguageDub: When it was released in America, Creator/MelSmith was dubbed over by LA actor William Dennis Hunt to be more posh and jolly and more family friendly.

* WorkingClassHero: Briggs states that he saw parallels between Father Christmas and his father who was a milkman (and yes, he is the milkman who Father Christmas meets near the end of his run).
* YourCostumeNeedsWork: When Father Christmas accidentally stumbles into a costume party, the host (dressed as a cat) comments to her friend "not awfully original" (granted, there are a couple of other partygoers behind her at that moment, dressed as such and with obviously fake beards).

* BadSanta: Well, not really ''bad'', but less squeaky-clean and relentlessly jolly and more grumpy than most portrayals.
* BlandNameProduct: Father Christmas uses an "UXO" tin (parodying OXO) for his snack tin during his Christmas run.

** When Father Christmas picks up his suit from the dry cleaners', the cashier asks him if he's going to a fancy dress party. During his deliveries, he accidentally stumbles into a fancy dress party, where the host comments to her friend "[[YourCostumeNeedsWork not awfully original]]" (there are a couple of people dressed as Father Christmas behind her with obviously fake beards).

* EarlyBirdCameo: Briggs' father appears in the background as a milk man. He later starred in his own graphic novel and movie, ''WesternAnimation/EthelAndErnest''.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Father Christmas injects the word "bloomin'" into every other sentence.

** In the British version, Father Christmas' favorite present is a bottle of booze, in the American dub it's ''cologne''.

A 1973 graphic novel by Creator/RaymondBriggs. This is a very different version of Father Christmas or Santa. He doesn't live in the North Pole with Mrs. Claus, his elves and his eight tiny reindeer; instead he lives in a London townhouse with ''two'' reindeer and his cat and dog. Far from being jolly, he's grumpy and treats his job, well like a job like any other bloke. The book covers his nightly run and the labor it takes from getting his sled ready, having to deal with the cold and the snow, and tight chimneys. His final delivery on the night is none other than to UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen at Buckingham Palace. As he finishes he runs into a friendly milkman who looks remarkably similar to Briggs' father.

** At the end of the short film when Father Christmas is having a bath, he's seen drying himself with a towel that has Nero's Palace's logo on it... he stole the towel from the hotel!

* AdaptationDistillation: The film combines the two books so they both happen in the same year. The events of Father Christmas Goes on Holiday come first and his Christmas run comes after.

* WorkingClassHero: [[WordOfGod Briggs]] states that he saw parallels between Father Christmas and his father who was a milkman (and yes he is the milkman who Father Christmas meets near the end of his run).