Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, be plenteous in mercy is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Calvin Coolidge.

Monday 3 December 2012

Mrs. Claus

Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in North American and European Christmas tradition. She is known for making cookies with the elves and preparing toys with her husband Santa Claus. Her first and maiden names are unknown.
The wife of Santa Claus is first mentioned in the short story "A Christmas Legend" (1849-Y.Novikova), by James Rees, a Philadelphia-based Christian missionary. In the story, an old man and woman, both carrying a bundle on the back, 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. Claus' first name is Diane. 

Moreover, 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. 

Much as in The Metropolites, Mrs. Santa Claus appears in a dream of the author E. C. 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 traveling and for cold weather. Her hood was large and round and red but not smooth, — it was corrugated; that is to say, it connsisted of a series of rolls nearly as large as my arm, passing over her head sidewise, growing smaller toward the back until they terminated in a big button that was embellished with a knot of green ribbon. Its general appearance was not unlike that of the familiar, pictorial beehive except that the rolls were not arranged spirally. The broad, white ruffle of her lace cap projected several inches beyond the front of the hood and waved back and forth like the single leaves of a great white poppy, as she nodded emphatically in her discourse.

Her outer garment was a bright colored plaid worsted cloak reaching to within about six inches of the floor. Its size was most voluminous, but its fashion was extremely simple. It had a wide yoke across the shoulders, into which the broad plain breadths were gathered; and it was fastened at the throat by a huge ornamented brass hook and eye, from which hung a short chain of round twisted links. Her right arm protruded through a vertical slit at the side of the cloak and she held in her hand 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 ample folds of the garment. Her countenance was keen and nervous, but benignant".

 In popular media

Since 1889, Mrs. Claus has been generally depicted in media as a fairly heavy-set, kindly, white-haired elderly female baking cookies somewhere in the background of the Santa Claus mythos. She sometimes assists in toy production, and oversees Santa's elves. Mrs. Claus' first name is Gertrude, but she goes by Jessica.
Her reappearance in popular media in the 1960s began with the children's book How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas, by Phyllis McGinley. Today, Mrs. Claus is commonly seen in cartoons, on greeting cards, in knick-knacks such as Christmas tree ornaments, dolls, and salt and pepper shakers, in storybooks, in seasonal school plays and pageants, in parades, in department store "Santa Lands" as a character adjacent to the throned Santa Claus, in television programs, and live action and animated films that deal with Christmas and the world of Santa Claus. Her personality tends to be fairly consistent; she is usually seen as a calm, kind, and patient woman, often in contrast to Santa himself, who can be prone to acting too exuberant.

10 comments:

  1. Santa Claus is one of the most famous characters that is loved by children all over the world. He is known for giving gifts to good kids on Christmas Eve. He is also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Santy or simply Santa. In many countries, kids, especially 'in spirit', believe Father Christmas as being real. Other names by which Father Christmas is known in other countries are:

    Afghanistan - Baba Chaghaloo
    Armenia - Gaghant Baba
    Brazil - Papai Noel
    Czech Republic - Ježíšek
    Denmark - Julemanden
    France and French Canada - Le Père Noël
    Germany - Weihnachtsmann
    Iraq and South Africa – Goosaleh
    Ireland & Scottish Highlands - Daidí na Nollag
    Italy - Babbo Natale
    Portugal - Pai Natal
    Romania - Mos Craciun
    Spain and Mexico - Papá Noel
    Netherlands and Belgium - Sinterklaas

    Saint Nicholas or Kriss Kringle was a historical figure, believed to be the kind bishop of Turkey. He used to give presents to the needy, poor and good kids, just to make them smile. Thus, he became the subject of many folktales and mythical fantasies. With time, his image changes to the modern version of Santa Claus with a long white beard, red robes and red bonnet with white trimmings, a big round belly and a kindly cheerful smile on his face and sparkling eyes.

    He is believed to live at North Pole or Lapland in Finland along with his team of elves, reindeers and his wife, Mrs. Claus. Together, they keep a record of all good children all over the world and give them the requested presents near Christmas time. They make toys, cookies and even make miracles happen for them. With time, Santa became so popular that today he is used as a promotional tool for many shopping malls and stores during Christmas time to lure kids and their families. Santa loves children who are kind and obedient to their elders.

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  2. Mrs.Claus's Kitchen: http://www.claus.com/kitchen/htmlkitchen.php

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  3. Musicals

    In contrast to her 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.

    In 1987, George Jones and Tammy Lynette released single Mr and Mrs Santa Claus, a love song sung by Jones and Wynette as Mr. and Mrs. Claus respectively. Mrs. Claus first name is Wyoming.

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  4. Where did Mrs. Claus come from?
    Though no mention was made of her, Santa Claus' wife made her debut in 1899 in Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride, one of a set of thirty-two books by Katharine Lee Bates, composer of "America the Beautiful. In 1908, another story encouraged children to start leaving a little food for Santa Claus because he would be tired after his hard work. Carrots and other treats were later added for his reindeer. Of course, Santa always left a note thanking the children for their kindness. A 1910 advertisement for Ivory Soap showed a child sitting in front of the fireplace with a bowl of water, a towel and a bar of Ivory soap so that Santa could wash up after coming down the chimney. Following the ad to the letter, soiled wash clothes and dirty water was often found on Christmas morning.

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    Replies
    1. LOL!
      Luckily this tradition didn't live long!!!

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  5. Mrs. Claus has appeared as a secondary character in children's books about Santa Claus and as the main 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
    Mrs. Santa Claus by Penny Ives, 1993
    A Bit of 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

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  6. Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, is a popular seasonal figure in Russian culture. In her most recognizable form, she is Ded Moroz's granddaughter and companion as he delivers gifts to good children in celebration of the New Year. In the Ded Moroz legend, Snegurochka is the Russian Santa Claus's granddaughter and helper and lives with him in Veliky Ustyug.

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  7. On this site we can find different screenshots of films where we can see a lot of embodiments of Santa Claus's wife during some periods of time (from 1964 upto 2011).

    http://christmas-specials.wikia.com/wiki/Mrs._Claus

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  8. I've found very interesting guide, how to look like Mrs. Claus during further holidays!
    Although you may refer to Santa Claus more commonly, you must not forget the timeless Mrs. Claus. She is often depicted in movies and story books as the plump, elderly female counterpart to Santa Claus. She is usually a sweet and versatile woman. During Christmastime, Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes are usually worn to help create a festive atmosphere. Although you can purchase a Mrs. Claus costume, it may be less cost-effective to buy a costume only worn once a year. Instead, you may want to design one of your own for a more creative touch:

    1 - Hem a red skirt to below the knee. Calf-length or ankle-length is appropriate for a traditional Mrs. Claus costume.

    2 - Cut 6-inch wide bands of white fur or felt. Attach the bands to the hems at the wrists of the white blouse with multiple safety pins. Attach additional white bands of fur or felt around the bottom hem of the blouse with safety pins.



    3 - Attach an eye-glass neck strap to the rectangular reading glasses.

    4 - Decorate the white apron with lace. Sew lace along the edges of the apron to add detail to the apron.

    5 - Put on the red skirt, along with the white blouse. Don black ankle boots, along with the white apron. Hang the eyeglasses around your neck.

    6 - Pull your hair up into a loose bun at the nape of your neck and powder the hair with baby powder for a white-haired look. Apply blush to your cheeks as a finishing touch. Put on white or red gloves to finalize the traditional Mrs. Claus costume.


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