The Origins of Mrs. Claus

Pamela McColl, author of TWAS THE NIGHT: The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem will be presenting a talk on the Origins of Mrs. Claus to kick off our holiday season, November 22nd at 5pm at the museum.

A festive discussion on the development of the charming Mrs. Santa from the mid 1800s to the present day. Early stories will be read, including James Rees’ Christmas Story and Kathy Lee Bate’s Goody Claus on a Sleigh Ride. The presentation is based on the research conducted by McColl for her forthcoming book: Wondrous Mrs. Claus – Her Own Story From The Beginning.

     Pamela McColl is an award-winning author and presenter. After studying art and history at Queen’s University, the University of Manitoba, the University of Victoria, and at the National Theatre School of Canada, McColl worked for 25 years as a corporate art consultant and art publisher.  In 2022, she wrote and published, Twas the Night: The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem. This 264-page full color art-history book won a Silver Benjamin Franklin Award in the history category. Copies of the book will be available for signing at the talk.

 Her nomination of Clement Clarke Moore, author of Twas the Night Before Christmas into the New York State Library Writer’s Hall of Fame was accepted, and Pamela has toured extensively, presenting at dozens of museums and libraries. She is currently working on a book about Mrs. Santa Claus and the development of her character from an historical perspective.