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.”