EVERYONE WHO LOVES TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS WILL ENJOY THIS NEW CHRISTMAS BOOK

Twas The Night Before Christmas - 200 Years 1822-2022

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Twas The Night Before Christmas - 200 Years 1822-2022

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The Art of Cooking

  

Interview with Pamela McColl, author Wondrous Mrs. Claus (September 2025) and What Would Mrs. Claus Do?

What inspired you to write about Mrs. Claus in your two new books? 


While working on my book for the bicentennial for the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” I was surprised to discover dozens of stories featuring Mrs. Claus. Some of them were wonderful so I decided to start a file with the thought of putting a book together on Mrs. Claus. I decided in 2024 to write a book that included a survey of her stories, poems and plays. I also decided to source images of her over the years. I had many that are included in my book in magazines and newspapers from the 1860s onward. As I worked away on Twas the Night – The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem the Mrs. Claus file grew. After reviewing the stories that featured Mrs. Claus’ I had a much better understanding of her importance to the American Christmas experience. She appeared within 25 years of the introduction of American Santa Claus 1821-1822. She is an influential and inspirational figure, embodying the values of Christmas, including generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, and charity. Learning about this character's involvement in the woman's suffrage movement from the 1870s onward was fascinating. 


How did you choose the title for your new books?  

This character is both majestic and enchanting. I settled on Wondrous Mrs. Claus, as it infers an element of her magical qualities and that is how she was described in the 1953 song "Mrs. Claus," performed and first popularized by Nat King Cole. For the second book the title was used reflects the book’s genre that explores the personality of iconic or inspirational women such as Dolly Parton and Grace Kelly and Frida. 


Were there any themes or messages you consciously set out to explore in both of your books? 

For Wondrous Mrs. Claus I reviewed dozens of early stories about the character. I became fascinated with the way each new work presented her, changing her name and appearances, demeanor and role in Christmas. Each writer was unaware of other works that wrote of the character. Mrs. Claus continues to be reinvented, defined by each new film or book. For the second book, “What Would Mrs. Claus Do?” the intent was to bring the character to life in detail, exploring her modus operandi.  


What research did you conduct for Wondrous Mrs. Claus. Did you uncover anything surprising or fascinating?

In sourcing Christmas stories, poems, and plays featuring Mrs. Claus, I accessed original newspapers, magazines, and books, which were not unavailable online. I needed to acquire copies of rare and sometimes rather costly books to obtain complete texts or images.   


Can you describe what else you did in researching this book? 

I met with hundreds of Claus performers in various parts of the country, learning how they engage with the public as professional performers.  Their support of one another through associations is remarkable and something I do not think many people know is that they meet in every community across the country regularly.


What are the qualities of Mrs. Claus that you think readers of your book will most relate to?

The character Mrs. Claus embodies cheerfulness, kindness and the essence of the spirit of Christmas – charity, thoughtfulness. She is wonderful, a great pleasure to spent time with on the page or in real life – when you are afforded the opportunity to meet with her at a Christmas event. 


What was a rewarding moment you experienced during the research and writing of your book?

It is rewarding to work on creating unique content. To my knowledge no one has written about Mrs. Claus in this way. My book is the first work to compile an extensive chronology of her literary and art history. Several stories from the 1870s were reprinted in their entirety. The images of her I found particularly interesting. My favorite being an image that accompanied a story from 1869. 


How has Mrs. Claus changed over the years? 

Her origin story changes over the years, as does her first name, her appearance from blond, red head to brunette, from a young girl to a grandmother, to the CEO of the North Pole’s largest toy factory to becoming the world’s renowned cookie baker. She took on many looks and roles, demonstrating her diverse talents in the 19th century. She consistently portrayed a courageous and adventurous heroine, an icon for the feminist movement, and a loving partner to Santa Claus. There is a storyline that portrays her as wanting more gratitude and appreciation for all that she does but that is not a new addition – it is there from 1870 onward. 


How does her character in contemporary settings differ from her portrayal in the latter part of the 19th century? 

In the stories I read from 1869-1900 she has multiple roles. The portrayal of her made for television films of the 1960s and 1970s, along with feature films of the 20thcentury changed our perception of the character. The “Mrs. Santa Claus” film of 1996 starring Angela Lansbury and both the 2018 and the 2020 performances by Goldie Hawn in “The Christmas Chronicles” contributed to how Mrs. Claus is currently perceived, along with the much-watched commercial mini-movies for Marks and Spencer, Boots and other mega brand retailers. Each of these performances portrays Mrs. Claus in very different ways. 


What do you hope readers will gain from reading Wondrous Mrs. Claus?

I hope readers gain a larger appreciation of the character and include her stories in their holiday reading. As a lover of history and vintage Christmas I hope they enjoy looking back over the years and seeing how Mrs. Claus was part of the holidays in eras past. I also hope they come to appreciate the wonderful partnership that Santa and Mrs. Claus have. They are significant figures and positive forces in the world, welcoming all children to know them as secular characters, or as part of a non-secular Christmas traditions. These characters represent acceptance, and love above everything else. They are important characters. 


When did you decide to write What Would Mrs. Claus Do? 

This is a book that was a delight to write because it involved taking on the thought process of this wonderful character, considering how she would respond and what she would say. Knowing her as an inspirational character, the book evolved to be part narrative and part interview. 


You wrote this second book about Mrs. Claus with Lindsay Stewart, who is a professional Mrs. Claus. How did you and your co-writer collaborate? 

It was a very organic process. We discussed the book's foundation and spent months refining the scope of the book, our goals, and the interview questions and answers. Mrs. Claus is an amazing character, representing a wise soul, an old soul. Time spent considering the inner thoughts of Mrs. Claus and considering her approach to life was enriching. This is what I hope readers take with them as they finish the book, I hope they close the book with a warm feeling, a sense of being supported by a kindred spirit.  


Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Set a publication date and commit to it. Ensure that you allocate sufficient time for each stage of your research, planning, and writing processes. Consider who will publish, design, and distribute your book. Put all the pieces in place and have a plan. Fix the book release date. This keeps you motivated and with just enough pressure to work hard but not to the point of letting it consume your entire life – which can happen when you work on passion projects such as authoring a book. 


What projects are you currently working on, and can you offer any hints or teasers for your upcoming work?

I will be speaking about my new books at touring museums, libraries, and bookstores over the fall of 2025 and 2026. In the past decade, I have spoken at hundreds of museums about Christmas in America and the history of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Mrs. Claus is my chief interest. I do have an interest in bringing all but lost Christmas poems and stories back, but we will see if that comes together. I also think that there are remarkable artists, authors and activists who contributed to the development of Christmas in America who need to be re-visited – again we will see how that comes together. 

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Question and Answers with Pamela McColl - Author/publisher

Twas The Night Before Christmas

What inspired Clement Clarke Moore to write the poem - Twas The Night Before Christmas ? 

Moore was a father of five young children and legend has it that he wrote the poem to present to his children and other members of his family for Christmas Eve 1822.  There have been fictionalized telling of how he drew inspiration for the character of St. Nick from a man who worked on his father's property. It has also been written that he wrote the poem as promised for a sickly daughter.  Moore only kept a diary for the last five years of his life and makes no mention in his notes on the circumstances of how the poem came to be read aloud to his family home of Chelsea two hundred years ago this year - 2022.  There are four hand-written and signed copies of the poem in Moore's own hand and on one of them he does mention the inspirational character of the associated with his father's estate. Moore did not take credit for the writing of the poem until years after it first appeared in the Troy Sentinel newspaper and he neither wrote the poem for fame or fortune, being both a humble man by nature, a scholar and serious academic and also very well off due to his family's significant land holdings in 18 and 19th. century New York.  


Why has the poem - Twas The Night Before Christmas endured and become what is arguable the most famous poem in the library of English literature?  

"First off it has endured because it is really quite splendid. It has been called a "masterpiece of juvenile fiction" a designation I agree with. It is also cheerful and endearing with no mention of the "naughty or nice" concept or threat of punishment for children who were found taxing on adult nerves. It was written for children and delights with tiny imaginative characters who serve to amuse.  The poem is a breeze to remember and recite but as important is the fact that it is introduced in early childhood and associated with the "merriest time of the year". It is woven into the very fabric of Christmas Eve celebrations and has been for 200 years.  It has been handed down from generation to generation. Many grandparents, who loved it themselves in childhood, thoroughly enjoy introducing it to grandchildren. The poem finds a new audience each and every year and is likely to do so for many generations to come.  Although it was written 200 years ago the language, albeit for a few words or phrases, are relevant.  Twas The Night Before Christmas is considered to be the most read, most recited, and most collected poem ever written in the English language because it is kind, benevolent and highly creative and speaks to the promise of faith if only we believe.  There is no "if" or doubt that Santa Claus will visit - for surely he is on his way.  The poem also reads well as written with only a few words dating the poem - which are easily altered. 


There have been thousands of editions of the poem printed over the years. Which ones are your favorites and why ? 


I am very partial to the edition by Everett Shinn (1942) as I think he captures spectacularly the movement inherent in the language of the poem. I also love the work of F.O.C. Darely and his edition of the poem is perhaps the closest to being the "quintessential" version. Darley was an immense talent and he is often referred to as the "father of American illustration". His edition of the poem was enjoyed by President Theodore Roosevelt as a young child, who in turn read this edition to his children and then his grandchildren. I also love the edition my father gave me when I was four which has a cutout design and flocking on the cover - illustrated by Florence Winship. The illustration I choose for the cover was from a relatively unknown artist - Helen Chamberlin. I loved the kindness displayed in her depiction of Santa Claus.  Many women illustrators are represented in my new book Twas The Night - The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem. In researching the poem I found it fascinating that in the 19th. century illustration was one of the few acceptable career paths for women. Many started out hand coloring for newspapers or fashion plates and then moved into the field of illustration. The great artist Howard Pyle specified that half of the students accepted into his art classes were to be women.  Jessie Willcox Smith became a highly acclaimed artist/illustrator in her life and illustrated the poem in 1912. She had been a publc of Howard Pyle. During the Golden Age of Illustration Gertrude Kaye also rose to great heights and illustrated Sarah Addington's The Boy Who Lived in Pudding Lane. This story about young Santa Claus has several illustrations by Kaye and are simply wonderful. She did not illustrate Twas The Night unfortunate.  


Norman Rockwell, Joseph Leyendecker and N.C. Wyeth, along with Andy Warhol and Maxfield Parrish are represented in your new book on the art and history of the poem. What role did they play in the poem ?  


One of the most fascinating aspects of the research I did on the poem was discovering how many of the great American fine or commercial artists were inspired by the poem. Some of these artists painted the character for advertisements from socks to furnaces and added to the popularity of the poem and its central character.  Sundblom's Santa for Coca Cola are perhaps the most well known but there were many others who contributed to the development of the character who came much earlier than he.  Norman Rockwell did not illustrate the poem but created a painting named after the poem - the poem recently sold in excess of half a million USD/. 


Which editions are the most sought after in terms of valuation ? 


The hand-written manuscripts, of which there are four, are the most valuable by a long shot. Selling for hundreds of thousands with one offered in a Christmas catalogue for $750,000USD. 

The early edition by Darley is exceedingly rare and highly sought after.  The original drawings and illustrations by Jessie Willcox, by Nast, and others are also prize items in collections. Several  museums and libraries have serious collections of the poem and there are also a handful of major private collections.  Constable Hall Museum in Constableville has a connection with the poem and is currently building a collection and accepting donations or vintage editions with a specific interest in the second half of the 19th. century. Mary Constable was Moore's first cousin and the family has long held to the view that at one time Moore visited the home of his cousin and that a signed manuscript of the poem had been in their posession. This copy has never been found. 


What is known about Clement Clarke Moore ? 


As a historian I really enjoyed researching the life and times of Clement Clarke Moore and his ancestors.  The notorious Lady Affleck turned out to be his first cousin on his mother's side of the family. I also found his connection through working with geneology charts with the puritan Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett.  Clement Clarke Moore was a graduate of Columbia, a professor at the General Theological Seminary, a wealthy land-owner and philanthropist.  His wife died in her 30s and he was left to raise their eight children with the help of his mother Charity Moore until her own passing. He was very well educated and a man interested in Opera, in music, in literature and devoted to his faith. He by accounts was a generous, kind and humble man and abit of an eccentric. There are numerous portraits of him painted throughout his life and one known photograph which is printed in my new book. It was a thrilling day when I discovered the image as I do not think it has been published to any other book on Moore.  There has never before been a biography written on the man that goes into the depth that I have and more still remains to be written on his life.  The Moore family continues to hold in their position and personal collections portraits of Moore, his wife and other family members. Someday they may find their way into public collections for all to see and appreciate. 



Washington Irving and Charles Dickens were also instrumental in developing Christmas literature and Clement Clarke Moore would have been aware of these authors. What influence did these other works have on the development of Christmas ? It has been said that Dickens invented Christmas what are your thoughts ? 


It can be said that Washington Irving was the first to introduce the concept of St. Nicholas flying over the rooftops of American homes in his Knickerbocker - A History of New York which was published before Dicken's Christmas stories or Moore's Christmas poem.  Dickens Christmas Carol comes twenty years after the first publication of Twas The Night and although very influential on Christmas traditions it can not rightfully be given credit for inventing Christams per se.  In fact all of these works were centuries in the making and some credit must be laid at the feet of the crafters of the legend of St. Nicholas himself.  Washington Irving was incredibly humourous and rightly earned the title of being the first American author to earn an international readership ( Benjamin Franklin man of letters aside) . All of these writes contributed to the development of Christmas customs. All three popularized the holiday more so than anyone else.  


In researching the book were there any surprises? 


As I afforded myself ten years to work on this book I was able to follow many paths of inquiry of which some were surprisingly rewarding. Discovering Constable Hall and the connection to the poem and the life of the William Constable family was fascinating. Discoverying that family geneology and the connection Moore had to the early American settlers was also of great interest.  One of the most interesting pursuits was the issue of the Moore's and their connection to the ownership of slaves on their property and other financial interests. In reviewing the evidence it was clear that Clement Clarke Moore's father and paternal grandparents did own slaves Clement Clarke Moore did not. The benefit of modern research enabled this to be confirmed.  

















Book Tour - Pamela McColl

TWAS THE NIGHT - DASHER DOLLS

Toronto Christmas Show 2012. My book made it on the amazon #1 bestseller list in the category of American Poetry for December and I was al smiles. 

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