Movies

The Christmas Chronicles 2 and the Evolution of Mrs. Claus

Christmas

The 2018 film, The Christmas Chronicles, starring the iconic Kurt Rusell as Santa, has just made its return in the form of The Christmas Chronicles 2 on Netflix. This time around, kids travel to the North Pole and help Santa and Mrs. Claus save Christmas. Just like last time, Kurt Russell’s Santa is an eccentric personality who brings a lot of fun into the film. Fortunately, this time around, Mrs. Claus is also along for the fun. Played by Russell’s real-world partner and legend in her own right, Goldie Hawn, Mrs. Claus is a fantastic character. She embodies the classic Mrs. Claus identity while furthering the idea that Mrs. Claus is the true hero behind Christmas. 

Goldie Hawn’s Mrs. Claus is not just the cookie baking wife that some movies and books might say Mrs. Claus should be. Instead, she takes the stereotypes and turns them on their head. In The Christmas Chronicles 2, Goldie Hawn’s Mrs. Claus can still bake but her kitchen creations do more than just fattening up Santa for the holiday.  She creates magical recipes that end up saving the day. Her gingerbread cookies explode on impact, her broccoli looks and tastes like cake, and her recipe helps save a sick Dasher and all of the elves from the poison that alters them, gremlin-like, into chaotic and out-of-control creatures. On top of her magical cakes and cookies, Mrs. Claus has designed the entirety of Santa’s Village, a fact that leads the children to decide to name the place Ms. Claus’s Village, as it should be.

In 1974’s stop-motion A Year Without A Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus is burdened with her husband’s lack of spirit and has to find a solution. In 1996’s Mrs. Santa Claus, starring Angela Lansbury in the title role, she takes matters into her own hands when Santa doesn’t listen to her ideas and advice. These Mrs. Clauses, as well as Goldie Hawns portrayal, give us a better glimpse into the inner workings of the North Pole and the true magic of Christmas. 

There are a lot of movies, and legends about Jolly Old St. Nick, but it’s past time for us to tell more stories and make more Christmas movies that better highlight the work of Mrs. Claus as more than just a mother-figure for the childlike Kris Kringle. The stories we tell our kids and write in books should include how Mrs. Claus saves the day alongside Saint Nick. 

We should also settle on a name for her to go alongside Santa’s countless titles. My vote? Let’s call her Goldie. 

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