Mrs. Claus (also known as Mrs. Santa Claus Sue Betten’s cousin) is the wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift bearer in the Western Christmas tradition. She is known for making cookies with the elves, taking care of the reindeer and preparing toys with her husband.
Santa’s wife is first mentioned in the short story "A Christmas Legend" (1849) by James Rees, a Christian missionary from Philadelphia. [1] In the story, an old man and an old woman, both carrying a bundle on their backs, are placed in a house on Christmas Eve as weary travelers. The next morning, the children of the house find a plethora of gifts for her, and the couple is apparently not "old Santa and his wife," but the hosts’ long-lost older daughter and her husband in disguise.
Mrs. Santa Claus is mentioned by name in the pages of the Yale Literary Magazine 1851, where the student author (whose name is given only as "AB") writes about Santa’s appearance at a Christmas party:
[I]I bounded that jolly, fat, funny old elf, Santa Claus. His array was indescribably fantastic. He seemed to have done his best; and we should think, had Mrs. Santa Claus to help him out. [2]
An account of a Christmas musical at the State Lunatic Asylum in Utica, New York, in 1854 included an appearance by Mrs. Santa Claus with baby in arms, dancing to a Christmas carol. [3]
A passing reference to Mrs. Santa Claus was made in an essay in Harper’s Magazine in 1862; [4] and in the comic strip The metropolitans (1864) by Robert St. Clar she appears in a woman’s dream, wearing "hessian high boots, a dozen short red petticoats, an old large straw hood" and brings the woman a wide selection of jewelry to wear. [5]
A woman who may or may not be Mrs. Santa Claus appeared in the children’s book Lill in Santa Claus land and other stories ‘ by Ellis Towne, Sophie May, and Ella Farman, published in Boston in 1878. In the story, little Lill describes her imaginary visit to Santa’s office (not in the Arctic, by the way):
"There was a lady sitting at a golden desk writing in a big book, and Santa Claus was looking through a big telescope, and every now and then he would stop and put his ear to a big speaking tube. "Now he said to the lady, ‘Set a good note for Sarah Buttermilk.’. I see she is trying to get over her quick temper.’ ‘Two two bad for Isaac Clappertongue; he’ll drive his mother to the lunatic asylum yet. ‘"
Later, Lill’s sister Effie reflects on the story:
Effie leaned back in the chair to think. She wishes Lill had found out how many black spots she had and if this woman was Mrs. Santa Claus – and actually got more specific information about many things.
Similarly MetropolitanMrs. Santa Claus appears in a dream by author EC Gardner in his article "A Hickory Back-Log" in Good housekeeping Magazine (1887), with an even more detailed description of her dress:
She was dressed for travel and for cold weather. Her hood was big and round and red, but not smooth-it was wavy; that is, it consisted of a series of rolls almost as big as my arm, going over the side of her head and getting smaller toward the back until they ended in a big button decorated with a knot of green ribbon. Its general appearance was not unlike that of the familiar pictorial beehive, except that the rollers were not spirally arranged. The broad white frill of her lace cap protruded a few inches beyond the front of the hood, and moved back and forth like the individual leaves of a large white poppy, while she nodded emphatically in her discourse. Its outer garment was a colorful plaid worsted coat, which reached to within about ten inches of the ground. His size was most voluminous, but his fashion was extremely simple. It had a wide yoke over the shoulders, into which the wide plain broads gathered; and it was fastened at the neck by a huge ornate brass hook and eye, from which hung a short chain of round twisted links. Her right arm protruded through a vertical slit in the side of the cloak, and she held a sheet of paper covered with figures. The left arm on which she carried a large basket or bag – I couldn’t tell which – was hidden by the large folds of the garment. Her face was sharp and nervous, but benign.
Mrs. Claus instructs architect Gardner on the ideal modern kitchen, the plan of which he includes in the article. [6]
Santa’s wife made her most active appearance to date by Katharine Lee Bates in her poem "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride" (1889). [7] "Goody" is short for "Goodwife," i.e., "Mrs." [8]
In Bates’ poem, Mrs. Claus a Christmas Eve sleigh ride from a reluctant Santa to reward herself for tending to her toy- and candy-laden Christmas trees, her Thanksgiving turkeys, and her "rainbow chickens" that lay Easter eggs. Once gone, Mrs. Claus supports the reindeer while Santa does his work in the chimneys delivering presents. She asks Santa to allow her to climb down a chimney. Santa reluctantly grants her request and descends a chimney to repair a poor child’s ragged stocking and fill it with presents. Once the task is complete, the clauses return to their Arctic home. At the end of the poem, Mrs. Claus remarks that she is the "sauciest of the merry" because she had her "own sweet will".
In popular media[ edit ]
Since 1889, Mrs. Claus has generally been portrayed in the media as a rather heavy, kindly, white-haired older woman baking cookies somewhere in the background of the Santa Claus mythos. She sometimes helps with toy production and supervises Santa’s elves. It is worth noting that she often has red hair when she is not portrayed as white-haired or older. This could be because red hair is the color that most often fades to white with age. [ citation needed ] She is usually depicted in a red or green fur dress.
Her reemergence in popular media in the 1960s began with the children’s book How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmasby Phyllis McGinley. Today, Mrs. Claus is frequently seen in cartoons, on greeting cards, in knickknacks such as Christmas tree ornaments, dolls, and salt and pepper shakers, in picture books, in seasonal school plays and pageants, in parades, in department stores. " Santa Lands "as a character next to the enthroned Santa Claus, in television programs and live-action and animated films dealing with Christmas and the world of Santa Claus. Her personality is rather consistent; She is usually seen as a quiet, kind, and patient woman, often in contrast to Santa herself, who can tend to be too effusive.
Literature[ edit ]
Mrs. Claus has appeared as a minor character in children’s books about Santa Claus and as a major character in titles about herself.
- Mrs. Santa Claus, militant (one-act play) by Bell Elliott Palmer, 1914
- The great adventure of Mrs. Santa Claus by Sarah Addington and Gertrude A. Kay, 1923
- The story of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and the Night Before Christmas By Alice and Lillian Desow Holland, 1946
- How Mrs. Claus saved Christmas by Phyllis McGinley, 1963
- Mrs. Claus by Penny Ives, 1993
- A Little Applause for Mrs. Claus by Jeannie Schick-Jacobowitz, 2003
- The story of Mrs. Santa Claus by Bethanie Tucker and Crystal McLaughlin, 2007
- Mrs. Claus takes a vacation By Linas Alsenas, 2008
- What does Mrs. Claus do? by Kate Wharton and Christian Slade, 2008
- Annalina: The Untold Story of Mrs. Claus by Adam Greenwood, 2011, tells the story of the young woman who will one day become Mrs. Claus. It was turned into a storybook for young children with coloring pictures and serves as a pilot for a series of novellas about various characters from the story.
- Mrs. Claus says by Nancy Claus, 2005-present, an ongoing series of children’s books about life at the North Pole, narrated by Mrs. Claus.
Movies[ edit]
- The first movie that shows Mrs. Claus was in 1964 Santa Claus conquers the Martians, where she was played by Doris Rich.
- Santa Claus comes to town Miss Jessica, a lovely schoolteacher who falls in love with and marries Kris Kringle and eventually becomes the classic Mrs. Claus becomes.
- In the 1984 tri-star film The Night They Saved ChristmasMrs. Claus, played by June Lockhart before Art Carney’s Santa Claus, took care of the children when they visited the North Pole.
- Mrs. Claus (played by Judy Cornwell) is also a character from the 1985s Santa Claus: The movie, where she played an important role in the story of the film. Her first name is Anya. It was her idea to give gifts only to good children.
- In the film from 1993 The nightmare before ChristmasMrs. Claus makes a cameo appearance. She is seen in the kitchen of her and Santa’s house preparing a lunch box and vacuum bottle so her husband can go to work.
- The film from 2002 Santa Claus 2 Centers on Tim Allen’s character, who is forced to marry in order to continue his role as Santa Claus. The "Mrs. Clause" confirms why every Santa has a Mrs. Claus had because she is part of the Santa Clause. He eventually finds true love in Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell), the principal of his son Charlie, and in Santa Claus 3: The Escape ClauseShe is about being Mrs. Claus, having a baby and being separated from her family.
- Played by Miranda Richardson in the 2007s Fred Claus (2007) starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. Her name is Annette.
- In the Arthur ChristmasMrs. Claus’ first name is Margaret and is the wife of Malcolm (the current Santa) and mother of the title character Arthur and his older brother Steve. She is portrayed as much more efficient than her husband.
- Mrs. Claus (played by Goldie Hawn) makes a brief appearance at the end of the 2018 Netflix movie The Christmas Chronicles.
- Mrs. Claus is played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the 2020 Mel Gibson film Fat man and her first name is given as Ruth.
Television[ edit ]
Mrs. Claus played an important role in several Christmas specials of Rankin / Bass. In the Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer (1964), she is seen as harassing her husband so that he does not become a "skinny Santa Claus" Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (A movie that combines characters from Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, among other Rankin / Bass Christmas specialties), Santa once calls her "Jessica". [ citation needed ]
In Santa Claus Comes to Town (1970), she is introduced as a schoolteacher named Jessica who, as a young man, meets Santa Claus (then known as Kris Kringle) when he tries to illegally deliver toys to a town run by a despotic ruler. She helps him and becomes a wanted fugitive herself with Kringle and his allies. Given this sacrifice, Jessica and Santa soon fall in love and get married in the nearby forest. In the 1974s The year without Santa Claus and the 2006 live-action remake, Mrs. Claus played a big role in trying to show Santa (who wants to stay home for Christmas this year when he feels no one appreciates or believes in him anymore) that there is still some Christmas spirit left in the world. Mrs. Claus also appeared in several other Rankin / Bass specials.
The lady was also portrayed in a TV musical, Mrs. Claus (1996), performed by Angela Lansbury, with songs by Jerry Herman. Neglected by her husband, she moves to New York in 1910 and becomes involved in women’s rights and against child labor in toy manufacturing. Of course, she learns how "Santa Mrs. Claus missing," as the sentimental song lyrics put it. Her name is Anna.
One of Mrs. Claus’ most unusual television appearances is in The fierce adventures of Billy& Mandy Christmas special Billy and Mandy save Christmas. In this story, her name is Nancy and she is a powerful vampire who, angry that Santa is leaving most of the work for her, turns him into a vampire so she can take a break (which is about the sixth or seventh time she has done this). , when she gets the idea from Mandy to take over the world before Billy reconciles her. Another unusual appearance is in the Robot Chicken Christmas Special, Meanwhile in a Dragon Ball Z Parody sketch, she gains powers from the radiation of the North Pole and becomes a giant monster that Goku, Gohan and Rudolph must destroy.
At A Charlie Brown ChristmasCharlie Brown’s sister Sally writes to Santa asking, "How’s your wife doing??"Later in the It’s Christmas time again, Charlie Brown, she writes Santa’s wife herself, and when Charlie Brown comments that some people call her "Mary Christmas," Sally congratulates her for choosing to keep her own last name. Im Charlie Brown’s Christmas StoriesSally writes Santa as "Samantha Claus" and accidentally thinks Samantha Claus is Santa’s wife.
Mrs. Claus appears in A Chipmunk Christmas, Where she buys Alvin a harmonica after he gives his old one to a sick boy. Her identity is revealed only at the end, when Santa returns home and she greets him.
Boost Mobile caused controversy with an ad featuring Mrs. Claus in bed with a snowman. One version aired briefly on late-night TV, while two alternate versions were posted online. [9] Ad Age had some comments on the ad, including "This latest ad from Boost Mobile and Los Angeles agency 180 shows Mrs. Claus doing something very, very bad." [10] Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly, CNN, and a number of local TV news outlets commented on the ads.
Marks& Spencer 2016 Christmas campaign[ edit]
For 2016, British clothing and food company Marks& Spencer created an integrated marketing campaign that focused on a modern interpretation of Mrs. Claus. The campaign included a three-minute ad that aired on 11. November 2016 was released, in which Mrs. Claus receives a letter from a seven-year-old child asking for help with a gift for his older sister, with whom the boy is having a difficult relationship.
The ad portrays Ms. Claus as more modern than previous examples. She drives a snowmobile and flies a helicopter while Santa delivers presents in a traditional sleigh. At the end of the ad, she tells Santa, "Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if you knew all my secrets." She suggests she has a secret life helping deliver Christmas presents. The brand also created a social media campaign in which Mrs. Claus answered inquiries and questions from members of the public.
The ad was well received by customers and the press, and many people praised the brand for its feminist approach to a traditional character. [11] [12]
The ad was directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper with Mrs. Claus played by British actress Janet McTeer. Music composed by Rachel Portman. The ad was made for Marks& Spencer of advertising agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe, a London-based division of Young& Rubican, created.
Music[ edit]
In 1953, Nat King Cole released a single titled "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot," on the back of which was a rendition of a song "Mrs. Santa Claus" with the accompaniment of Nelson Riddle’s orchestra. [13]
In contrast to their stereotypical portrayal, Mrs. Claus is portrayed as a woman bored with her relationship with Santa Claus in the song "Surabaya-Santa" from Jason Robert Brown’s musical Songs for a new world and in the off-color song of the Oszkars "Mrs. Claus has a headache again".
In 1971, comedy duo Cheech and Chong released their take on Mr. and Mrs. Claus in a sketch with the title "Santa and His Old Lady" in which Cheech tries to write his version of a classic Hispanic Christmas carol, and explains (in his own way) the origins of Santa and Mrs. Claus explained. [14]
In 1987, George Jones and Tammy Wynette released a single, "Mr and Mrs Santa Claus," a love song written by Jones and Wynette as Mr. , respectively. Mrs. Claus was sung.
Bob Rivers recorded a parody of the soul song "Me and Mrs" on his 2002 album. Jones" with the title "Me and Mrs. Claus" on White Trash Christmas.
Bob Ricci recorded a parody of the pop hit "Stacy’s Mom" entitled "Mrs. Claus" on.