Mrs. Santa Claus

For many in the United States, America the Beautiful, by Falmouth’s Katherine Lee Bates, is a second national anthem.

A great Christmas enthusiast, she also wrote a poem about Mrs. Santa Claus in 1889. While light in tone it has a gently feminist message. Why should Santa have all the glory “And poor little Goody Santa have nothing but the work?” In a 1950’s song Nat King Cole recognized Mrs. Claus’s role in her husband’s enterprise, noting that she “gives the brownies all their spice” and “keeps his red suit looking nice.”