Does Mrs. Claus Have a Life of Her Own?

We know an awful lot about Santa Claus. He is based on stories of St. Nicholas, who was a bishop and therefore unmarried. He evolved into Father Christmas, which makes us wonder who Mother Christmas is. If our Santa Claus always had a wife, she stayed in the background until a few sighting appeared in the literature in the 19th century.

After lurking in the background of Santa-focused tales for a few decades, Mrs. Claus finally got a starring role in "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride," an 1889 poem by Katherine Lee Bates. The poem is told from the perspective of Mrs. Claus herself, who is given a name of sorts: Goody, which is short for Goodwife, a polite form of address once used in place of "Mrs."

Goody has a few bones to pick with her jolly old husband. Bates depicts her as a dutiful wife prone to asking the odd passive-aggressive question. "Santa, wouldn't it be pleasant to surprise me with a present?" she asks, having laid out the fact that Santa gets "all the glory of the joyous Christmas story" while "poor little Goody Santa Claus" gets "nothing but the work." Two stanzas later, the resentment gets more intense:

    You just sit here and grow chubby off the goodies in my cubby
    From December to December, till your white beard sweeps your knees;
    For you must allow, my Goodman, that you're but a lazy woodman
    And rely on me to foster all our fruitful Christmas trees.

Does Mrs. Claus even have her own name? We got to know her a little better in the 20th century. Read the history of Mrs. Claus as we know her, at Atlas Obscura. 

(Image credit: Anssi Koskinen)


Login to comment.




Email This Post to a Friend
"Does Mrs. Claus Have a Life of Her Own?"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More