This week in view of Christmas we look into the life and times of a woman known by the name of Anya or Annalina, also Gretchen or Margaret depending on where you are from and when you were born. This woman is not a former porn star but she is the perfect choice for this week. In the UK she is known as Mother Christmas. She was born many, many years ago up north. She has been a part of every child’s life for a number of years, but not near as much as her husband. She has also been a matronly woman of many different looks and interpretations. This always smiling, friendly lady is better known as Mrs. Santa Claus.
Yes, her story may be pure fable, or maybe not?? How can we not salute this wonderful woman and all she has meant to the holiday for generations? The first mention of Santa Claus having a wife goes back to a short story “A Christmas Legend” written and published in1849 by James Rees, a Philadelphia-based Christian missionary. As told in the story an old man and woman, both carrying a bundle on their backs, are given shelter in a home on Christmas Eve as weary travelers. The next morning, the children of the house find a large number of gifts for them, and the couple is revealed to be not “Santa Claus and his wife”, but the hosts’ long-lost older daughter and her husband in disguise. So we know that she goes back to the 1800’s, but in European legend she and her husband go back many centuries.
While she stays in the background, Mrs. Claus’ primary job is to bake cookies for all the elves that work at the North Pole. She also oversees their work and even helps out assembling toys at times. She is always smiling, never argues with the elves and is always in a happy go lucky mood. She truly enjoys the elves and baking and cooking for them because they are “family” to her and Santa. During the little down time she and Santa have they spend it together in a very loving and comfortable way in their spacious North Pole home, while the elves take some time off as well.
Another thing about Mrs. Claus is her caring for the reindeer. While they are Santa Claus’s mode of transportation around the world every year, it is Mrs. Claus who tends to them to keep them fed, keep them clean and keep them in top shape for their big yearly trip. She even bakes up some special treats for them before their long trip that is said to make them go faster.
According to the poem by Katharine Lee Bates,”Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride” written in 1889 Mrs. Claus did make one Christmas Eve trip with Santa. In the poem, Mrs. Claus talks him into a Christmas Eve sleigh-ride as a way of thanking her for tending to their toy and bon bon laden Christmas trees, their Thanksgiving turkeys, and their “rainbow chickens” that lay Easter eggs. Once they are on their way, Mrs. Claus steadies the reindeer while Santa goes about his work descending chimneys to deliver gifts. She also begs Santa to let her descend a chimney at one point. Santa is not too happy but grants her request. She descends a chimney to mend a poor child’s tattered stocking and to fill it with gifts. Once the task is completed and Santa has delivered every gift, the Clauses return to their North Pole home with Mrs. Claus very satisfied she could make that trip and have that experience with her husband.
While Santa himself is still the most popular, Mrs. Claus has had her own brushes with fame with movies and TV shows about her, various books who refer to Mrs. Claus and even video games in this modern age. Through it all, be it real or fable, Mrs. Claus has been a kindly, happy, devoted wife and deserves any accolades that come her way. Like her husband, she is ageless and right now she is extremely busy as tomorrow the elves load up the big sleigh and Mrs. Claus will get Santa’s suit all cleaned and pressed for the trip. Then she will await his return early Christmas Day so they can celebrate this wonderful day together just as they have for hundreds of years.
Merry Christmas to all from Santa and Mrs. Claus!
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
