GERTRUDE CLAUS: SANTA CLAUS’S BETTER HALF

By Heidi Lyn Rao

GERTRUDE CLAUS: SANTA CLAUS’S BETTER HALF

It’s that time of year again – Christmas! For most people, both young and old, it is the most magical time of the year. Many images of this time of year are formed when we are very young, and we carry those same images throughout our lifetime. There are nothing like the memories that bring us joy as Christmas recollections when we were young. Tinsel, lights, cookies, wreaths, Christmas trees, and of course the Big Guy.

It is the one time of year when the religious world collides with the secular world. The religious and secular worlds during this time are so intertwined that even the symbols of Christmas include both concepts. These two polar opposites incredibly join forces to bring out the best of humankind. From charity donations, helping our neighbors, gift giving, and just being kind to each other, the Christmas season is truly a miracle.

There is no doubt that Santa Claus is synonymous with Christmas. The image of a fat jolly man in a red suit riding a sleigh being pulled by nine reindeer, or living at the North Pole surrounded by elves, are seared in our minds and culture. Children, at least most of them, try to behave throughout the year to avoid being placed on Santa’s Naughty List. As Christmas nears, children write letters to Santa Claus and leave milk and cookies as a thank you for all the presents they hope to receive!

They say, behind every successful man is a great woman. So why is it we never hear or learn about the woman behind the most famous man in the world? Her name is Gertrude Claus. Most people do not even know her first name. No one writes Mrs. Claus letters or leaves cookies and other treats out on Christmas Eve for Santa to bring home to her.

Gertrude Claus was first identified in 1849 in the short story called “A Christmas Legend” by James Rees. Gertrude though, answered to several other names, presumably middle names. In the 1970’s animated film, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Mrs. Claus answered to the name Jessica. Through the decades, Mrs. Claus referred to herself as Anya, Carol, Holly, Margaret, Mary, and Ruth.

You might ask why Gertrude went by so many names throughout history. The answer makes sense if you are the type of person who does not like to get stuck in a rut or likes a change every now and then. Ask yourself if you would like to go by the same name for several centuries. Gertrude Claus will be 1,144 years old on her birthday, December 25, 2024. I guess going by the same name for all those years never bother Santa. Santa Claus will be 1,754 years old on his birthday, March 15, 2025!

Like many couples in their “Golden Years,” Santa and Gertrude Claus cannot take the cold like they used to. Like “Snowbirds” in the United States who flee to warmer climates in the colder months, Santa gave in to Gertrude’s insistence and the Claus couple now has a part-time home in a warmer climate when they are not at the North Pole. In 1985, Gertrude found a summer home in the Lapland region of Finland. The Finnish town of Rovaniemi hosts Santa Claus Village. This is the only place that people from around the world are allowed to visit the elderly couple.

There is more to Gertrude than what meets the eye! We all know it is the wife who really runs everything. Gertrude has many careers. Among the many careers, she is a supervisor, bookkeeper, and a stand-in professional. It is a little-known fact that Gertrude supervises the elves in the workshop because it was discovered that Santa was easily “bought off” with a few cookies.

It is also a very close kept secret that Gertrude is the one who actually keeps up with the “who’s on the naughty” and “who’s on the nice” lists. This is because Santa was never really that good with names and once again, was a sucker for a cookie or two. Gertrude is all business! The “scout elves” (Elf on the Shelf) who were adopted by families emerge each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas and hide to watch and listen to the activities of the family each day. When everyone goes to sleep these elves

fly back to the North Pole to report who was naughty and who was nice, and it is said that the Elf on the Shelf answers directly to her on their “Nightly Report to Gertrude.”

Gertrude is known among the elves as a “Jack of All Trades.” In the 1974 documentary, The Year Without a Santa Claus, it is reported that Gertrude saved Christmas. The documentary details how Santa Claus lost his Christmas cheer and could not get the energy up to deliver toys to all the good boys and girls. Gertrude, not having any “bah-humbug,” donned Santa’s red suit and headed to the sleigh to make the deliveries. This so impressed Santa that he immediately was filled with Christmas Cheer and ultimately made his famous trip around the world.

Some may say that Gertrude never intended to make the trip on her own and was trying to trick Santa, but in 2020, she removed all doubt. A hard-hitting journalistic story was reported by Christopher M. Benedict exposed a short-lived North Pole scandal. Apparently, unbeknownst to everyone, including Santa’s closest elf confidants, the Big Guy broke his leg collecting sugar plums in the Wonderland Forest right before Christmas Eve. Once again, donning Santa’s big red suit (with many pillows stuffed inside), Gertrude set off to deliver presents, saving Christmas!

In years gone by, Santa Claus would fly down to shopping malls and department stores to meet with all the young boys and girls to ask what they wanted for Christmas. While Santa was away on so many of these business trips, Gertrude was stuck at home. After a while, Gertrude had enough and decided to join him. Now, it is commonplace to see Gertrude alongside Santa Claus greeting children all over the world.

This year when you tell the story of Santa Claus to all the young children in your life, or if you are recounting the story to yourself for nostalgia purposes, do not forget to include Gertrude! Without Gertrude, Christmas would not have the same meaning. Once again, it is the woman who is the unsung hero of our Christmas culture. Santa Claus may be synonymous with Christmas, but it is Gertrude Claus who gives Christmas the “woman’s touch!”