“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” Singer Passes
Jimmy Boyd, the child singer and actor best known for the original rendition of the Christmas novelty hit “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” in 1952, has died. He was 70.
Boyd died of cancer Saturday at a Santa Monica convalescent hospital, longtime friend Eleanor Pillsbury said Tuesday.
“I Saw Mommy” shot to the top of the Billboard charts three weeks after it was released. It sold 2 million records in less than 10 weeks. It has since been interpreted by such artists as the Jackson 5, John Mellencamp and Amy Winehouse.
Boyd, who was 13 when he recorded the song, told Time magazine soon after its release that he was surprised by its success.
“I like it personally,” he said, “but I didn’t think anyone would buy it.”
Boyd was born in McComb, Miss., on Jan. 9, 1939, and grew up on a ranch near Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, where be started playing guitar at age 4. After winning a TV talent contest, Boyd appeared on “The Frank Sinatra Show” and was signed to a recording contract with Columbia.
His first recording success was with a country song, “(The Angels Are Lighting) God’s Little Candles.” Later hits included “Dennis the Menace,” sung with Rosemary Clooney, and several duets with Frankie Laine.
His TV work included appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the early 1950s and roles in the situation comedies “Bachelor Father” from 1958 to 1961 and “Date with the Angels” in the late-1950s.
In 1960, Boyd married Yvonne Craig, an actress he met while making the Bing Crosby film “High Time” who would go on to play Batgirl in the 1960s TV series “Batman.” Their marriage ended after two years.
In his later years, Boyd became an avid sailor and for years lived on the Southern California coast on a sailboat he named Unplugged.
He is survived by a son.
Mrs. Claus is Coming to Town
Mrs. Claus doesn’t just make cookies. Hundreds of Mrs. Santa Claus portrayers will be attending the upcoming Celebrate Santa 2009 (www.celebratesanta.com) this March in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Unlike Santa conventions of the past, the first annual Celebrate Santa Convention and Expo will have numerous workshops and tutorials specifically for Santa’s better half.
A wife of Santa Claus was first mentioned in the pages of the Yale Literary Magazine in 1851, where a student author writes of the sudden appearance of Santa Claus and his wife at a Christmas party. A passing reference to Mrs. Santa Claus was made in an essay in Harper’s Magazine in 1862 and again 1881.
“Mrs. Santa Claus really owes her legend to author Katherine Lee Bates.”, stated Gloria Wendling, a Mrs. Claus from Illinois. “Mrs. Bates wrote about an active Mrs. Santa Claus in her 1889 poem ‘Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride.’ This poem portrayed Mr. Claus as an individual personality.”
Mrs. Wendling will be conducting a workshop about Mrs. Claus Wardrobe that will include the early history of Mrs. Santa Claus along with suggestions proper costuming.
Part of Mrs. Claus’s role as Santa’s wife is to make sure that Santa’s beard looks its best. Cindylu Thomas of Alabama has been Mrs. Claus for over seven years and is also is an expert in the hair care of St. Nick’s whiskers. She will present a clinic called Naturally Yours Hair and Beard Care.
“Keeping the Santa look for gentlemen that wear their whiskers year round is an ongoing process”, commented Mrs. Thomas. “Santa must look his finest at all times and beard grooming is the first step.”
Celebrate Santa opening ceremonies start on March 16 and the convention closes on March 18. On March 17, Mrs. Clauses and their Santas will participate in the Holly and Shamrock Parade (www.hollyandshamrock.com), Gala dinner dance, and numerous other events. The convention was created by Joseph and Mary Moore of Tennessee.
“Over the past decade, the presence of Mrs. Claus has increased and has been in more demand”, said Mary Moore, co-coordinator of Celebrate Santa. “We are very excited about all the Mrs. Claus workshops and all the activities the convention has to offer. It has become a true Santa family affair.”
