| Mrs. Claus | |
|---|---|
 Illustration from a 1919 postcard depicting Mrs. Claus (right) placing a scarf on Santa before his journey begins | |
| Associates | |
| Attire | Mrs. Claus suit, long petticoat, lace cap |
| Aliases | Mrs. Santa Claus, Mrs. Santa, Mother Christmas, Mrs. Christmas, Mary Claus, Mary Christmas |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Baker and reindeer herder |
| Spouse | Santa Claus |
| Home | |
Mrs. Claus, (also known asMrs. Santa Claus,Mrs. Santa,Mother Christmas,[1]Mrs. Christmas,Mary Claus or Mary Christmas) is the wife ofSanta Claus, theChristmas gift-bringer in WesternChristmas tradition.
The wife of Santa Claus is first mentioned in the short story "A Christmas Legend" (1849), byJames Rees, aPhiladelphia-based Christianmissionary.[2] In the story, an old man and woman, both carrying bundles on their backs, are given shelter in a home on Christmas Eve as weary travelers. The next morning, the children of the house find an abundance of gifts for them, and the couple is revealed to be not "old Santa Claus and his wife", but the hosts' long-lost elder daughter and her husband in disguise.
Mrs. Santa Claus is mentioned by name in the pages of theYale Literary Magazine in 1851, where the student author (whose name is given only as "A. B.") writes of the appearance of Santa Claus at a Christmas party:
An account of a Christmas musicale at the State Lunatic Asylum inUtica, New York in 1854 included an appearance by Mrs. Santa Claus, with baby in arms, who danced to a holiday song.[4]
A passing reference to Mrs. Santa Claus was made in an essay inHarper's Magazine in 1862;[5] and in the comic novelThe Metropolites (1864) by Robert St. Clar, she appears in a woman's dream, wearing "Hessian high boots, a dozen of short, redpetticoats, an old, large, straw bonnet" and bringing the woman a wide selection of finery to wear.[6]
A woman who may or may not be Mrs. Santa Claus appeared in the children's bookLill in Santa Claus Land and Other Stories byEllis Towne,Sophie May andElla Farman, published inBoston in 1878. In the story, little Lill describes her imaginary visit to Santa's office (not in theArctic, incidentally):
Later, Lill's sister Effie ponders the tale:
Much as inThe Metropolites, Mrs. Santa Claus appears in a dream of the authorEugene C. Gardner in his article "A Hickory Back-Log" inGood Housekeeping magazine (1887), with an even more detailed description of her dress:
Mrs. Claus proceeds to instruct the architect Gardner on the ideal modern kitchen, a plan of which he includes in the article.[7]
Santa Claus' wife made her most active appearance yet byKatharine Lee Bates in her poem "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride" (1889).[8] "Goody" is short for "Goodwife", i.e., "Mrs."[9]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The character recurred throughout mass media of the time, with notable literary examples including the 1914 one-act playMrs. Santa Claus, Militant byBell Elliott Palmer, the 1923 storyThe Great Adventure of Mrs. Santa Claus by Sarah Addington illustrated by Gertrude Kay, and the 1963 children's bookHow Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas byPhyllis McGinley.
In popular recordings,Nat King Cole released the 1953 song "Mrs. Santa Claus" with accompaniment byNelson Riddle's orchestra,[10] while comedy duoCheech and Chong had a hit with "Santa Claus and His Old Lady" in 1971.[11]
On television, Mrs. Claus was voiced byShirley Booth in the 1974 stop-action animated specialThe Year Without a Santa Claus, and portrayed byAngela Lansbury as the protagonist of the 1996 live-action musicalMrs. Santa Claus.
Boost Mobile created some controversy with a 2009 ad featuring Mrs. Claus.[12] British companyMarks & Spencer received positive attention for their 2016 marketing campaign based on a modern feminist interpretation of Mrs. Claus.[13][14] In 2018, there was an increasing demand for holiday appearances of Mrs. Claus as a standalone character separate from Santa Claus.[15]
In 2023,Sheryl Lee Ralph became the first celebrity and the first black woman to play Mrs. Claus in the history of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[16]
InIt's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992), Charlie Brown tells his sister Sally, that some people call Santa's wife, Mary Christmas. Sally then gets out a new paper and writes; "Dear Mary Christmas, congratulations on deciding to keep your own name..."
According to IMDb, the quote was written in this way:
Sally: What was his name again?
Charlie Brown: Santa Claus.
Sally: Any middle initial?
Charlie Brown: No, I don't think so. At least I've never heard of one.
Sally: How about his wife? Do you know her name?
Charlie Brown: Well, sometimes you hear people say her name is Mary Christmas.
Sally: Really? That's very interesting. Maybe I'll write to her instead.
[starts writing a yuletide greeting]
Sally: Dear Mary Christmas, Congratulations on deciding to keep your own name...[17]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
