Photo: Tetra Images (Getty Images)
This time of year, everybody fawns over Santa Claus while Mrs. Claus gets diddly squat. If it weren’t for Mother Christmas, Santa would go unfed, the elves unsupervised, and the toys unfinished. But our general ignorance of Santa’s wife is not entirely our fault. Mrs. Claus’s mythos is scarce and scattered, the festive figure is often referenced as nothing more than Santa’s collected companion.
After doing some digging, we uncovered some fun tidbits about the Mrs. that warrant sharing. Give the gal some respect.
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Meet Mother Christmas: 8 Fun Facts About Mrs. Claus
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Mrs. Claus’s Origins Are Questionable
Santa’s wife is first referenced in the 1849 short story A Christmas Legend by James Rees. In the tale, an old man and woman are given shelter on Christmas Eve as weary travelers. The following morning, the children of the house find a gaggle of gifts left for them. Aw. It's as creepy as it is charming.
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Mrs. Claus Was Once The Reindeers’ Bodyguard
While we see her as portly and wholesome these days, Mrs. Claus’s earlier portrayals were that of a ballbuster. In writer Katharine Lee Bates’ 1889 poem Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride, the matriarch of Christmas demands she accompany her hubby around the world to care for the sleigh and reindeer while he delivers gifts.
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Mrs. Claus Was an Early Feminist
In the 1914 play, Mrs. Santa Claus, Militant and 1963’s How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, Lady Christmas tosses gender roles to the wind and commandeers the sleigh and delivers presents without Santa’s permission. You go girl!
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Mrs. Claus Goes to Space
It’s believed Mrs. Claus’s first film appearance was in the sci-fi B-movie: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
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Mrs. Claus is Very Easily Seduced
In both 1970’s Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and 2002’s The Santa Clause 2, Santa wins over the future Mrs. Claus by presenting her with a childhood doll. Come on, now. Up your game, man. You’re Santa for crying out loud.
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Mrs. Claus Doesn’t Have a First Name
While Santa is generally regarded as Kris Kringle, Mrs. Claus has gone by many monikers, including: Mary Christmas, Gertrude, Carol, Martha, Jessica, and so on.
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Mrs. Claus’s Duties Are Woefully Outdated
Instead of growing more progressive with time, Mrs. Claus’s role in the North Pole has gradually regressed to dated gender roles. Since 1889, Mrs. Claus’s duties are generally limited to baking cookies and assisting in toy production. However, her mythos attests that she is in charge of the elves, which is totally badass.
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Mrs. Claus is The Reason Why Santa is So ‘Jolly’
In 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Mrs. Claus pesters her husband to eat, lest he become a “skinny Santa.” She likes her men thick!
