Mrs. Claus's Childhood

Janey and Daniel McBride lived in Washington DC. On Christmas Day in 1792, they gave birth to a little girl. Since she was born on Christmas Day, her parents named her Holly.

Holly was such a happy child. She loved animals and spent all of her time outside on her family's farm tending to all of the family's animals. She would wake up at 5am and feed the animals every day before school, then would come home from school and change into her farming clothes and run out to see all of the animals.

When Holly wasn't playing around on the farm, she could be found sewing pretty dresses for herself and her sister. Holly absolutely loved her sister and the two were inseparable.

Holly's mom knew that Holly would be a great veterinarian and she encouraged her to pay attention in school so that one day she could care for animals.

Mrs. Claus Grows up

As Holly got older, she continued to do very well in school and even received a scholarship to study veterinarian medicine. She was going to be a vet, just like she always wanted.

Holly thrived at school. She spent all of her time studying really hard, while still taking the time to take care of the animals on the farm. Before long, Holly graduated and became a veterinarian. At this point, Holly's parents had gotten older she Holly and her sister started managing the farm on their own while their parents were able to stay inside and rest. Holly loved being able to spend so much time caring for all of the animals with her sister.

The Night that Mrs. Claus Met Santa

One Christmas Eve, Holly was at her grandmother's house. They had a delicious turkey dinner, played games and talked about the arrival of Santa that evening. Holly's parents and sister headed home early, but Holly wanted to stay a bit longer and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa with her grandmother.

When Holly finally decided to leave, a light snowfall had just started to fall. Holly's grandmother gave her a warm hat to keep her warm and told her to hurry on home. As Holly began her walk home, the snow started to fall heavier and heavier with every step she took. Before she knew it, she could hardly see what was in front of her and knew that she needed to find shelter to protect her from the cold winds and heavy snow.

Holly knew there was a small barn just ahead, so she focused on just making it to that barn for protection. Finally, Holly made it. She huddled just outside of the barn, protected from the snow and wind. She started to get really nervous- would it be too cold for her to survive the night? Her parents must be so worried, since it was already after midnight.

Holly started to cry and wondered if she would be okay. As she sat there shaking from the cold, she started to see a bright red light glowing in the distance. She couldn't imagine where this red light could be coming from. The light kept getting closer and closer- what could it be! Right before her eyes, a little reindeer stepped into view, followed by a large, jolly man. It was Rudolph and Santa! Holly couldn't believe her eyes.

While traveling through town, delivering gifts to all of the houses, Santa had spotted Holly down below, sheltering from the cold. He quickly steered the reindeer down towards Holly and had Rudolph guide the guy to the barn. He knew that this young woman must be so cold and in need of help.

Santa walked Holly back to his sleigh. He handed her a big fluffy blanket and a warm cup of hot chocolate. It was the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted! Once Holly was warmed up, Santa sped through town to Holly's house and dropped her off, safe and sound before continuing on his trip around the world.

Mrs. Claus and Santa, reunited

The next morning, Holly woke up and told her family the story about how Santa saved her life. She gushed to her sister about what a handsome man Santa was and how kind he was. She even told her sister that she thought she may have fallen in love with him that night. Holly spent every day that year writing a letter to Santa. She told him about all of the animals on her farm and how much she loved each one. She talked about her sister and how much they loved sewing together. Holly gushed about how much she loved the hot chocolate he made her and how much she loved riding in the sleigh. Holly wrote Santa 365 letter that year- one for every single day.

On Christmas Eve, Holly decided to stay up and wait for Santa. She couldn't wait to see him again. At 12:03, she heard a loud noise up on the roof and before she knew it, 2 big black boots were coming down her chimney. Holly jumped up with excitement. Santa gave her a big hug, then got down on one knee and asked Holly to be his wife. Holly said "yes!" and gave Santa a big kiss.

The Wedding of Santa & Mrs. Claus

Holly and Santa got married on February 14th, 1824. Holly's sister, parents and grandmother were all there to witness the marriage. Santa also had all of his reindeer there!

Santa whisked Mrs. Claus off to the North Pole where they've lived ever since.

Life in the North Pole

Mrs. Claus loves living in the North Pole with Santa. She spends so much time caring for the reindeer. She makes sure that they are all healthy and happy, and she enjoys every moment of it. Her sister managed the family farm, but would often call Mrs. Claus if she needed some tips on how to care for certain animals. Mrs. Claus also gets to keep up with her other hobby of sewing. She takes good care of Santa's suit and makes sure that it's ready to make the big trip around the world every year on Christmas.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus have been so happy together for the last 194 years. In 2024, they’ll be celebrating their 200^th anniversary!