Page 2 - DEC2021

Page 2
Community
MRS. CLAUS
continued from page 1
poem was known at its inaugu- ral readings as “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (i.e. the Greek gift giv- ing bachelor Bishop).
Fortunately, during the last few decades, Mrs. Claus, like women generally, has been rec- ognized for the contributions she has made behind the scenes at the North Pole and around the world. Phyllis McGinley under- scored the evolving recognition of Santa’s wife in her children’s book of the 1960s entitled “How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas.” Although traditional in many respects, Mrs. Claus, who makes her appearance in Bristol this December, is the elfin equivalent of a liberated woman when it comes to sharing work challenges with Santa. She arrives here having shared the sled driving responsibilities with Mr. Claus. Because of her recognized role as reindeer supervisor, the reindeer team has been quick to respond to her commands. Rudolph, who joined the team as lead reindeer in the mid 20th century, is espe- cially fond of Mrs. Claus because
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
December 2021
she was the one who persuaded the other reindeer to be nice and let Rudolph “join in all the rein- deer games.”
On December 10th, parents and children will be escorted by the library’s Assistant Di- rector, Paula McKinley, from the children’s room to the large conference room in the back of the library. Once settled in, they will engage in several learning games led by Paula. The activi- ties, although fun, will focus on developing social awareness and introduce the children to some fundamental academic skills within a Christmas time theme. (The library has plans for similar explorations of the celebrations of Chanukkah (Hanukkah) and Kwanzee (Quanza). After the learning activities, the children will enjoy the experience of lis- tening to and interacting with Mrs. Claus!
As mentioned, I have met with Mrs. Claus. It was early evening on a moonlit night (at an undis- closed location). Because of her elfin immunity and the fact that I had received all my vaccinations, we removed our masks. Mrs. Claus’s face was made up with
much rouge and bright lipstick to accentuate her cheerful, smiling face. As we were conversing, Mrs. Claus, using makeup remover, re- vealed an entirely new face below what was truly another mask. And there, to my surprise, was a real person playing Mrs. Claus. It was Raymah Simpson!
Raymah is a well-known resi- dent of Bristol. She has been the Town Clerk for 16 years, pro- cessing thousands of taxes, car registrations, marriage, birth and death certificates, town stickers, as well as acting as an “informa- tion booth.” As a Justice of the Peace, she has been a marriage officiant. (One of her services was conducted at Wellington State Park.) When not engaged in her official work, she has joy- fully participated in numerous town celebrations and fundrais- ing activities. On occasion, she has entertained the community with her dancing skills (as a witch as well as the winning contestant in this year’s charitable event “Voices Against Violence”).
There are superficial differ- ences between Raymah and Mrs. Claus. Santa’s wife dresses in traditional “old fashion” at-
Raymah Simpson
tire. She usually wears a color- less shawl, a bonnet, and a long shapeless wool skirt. (Buckled shoes peek out from under the skirt.) On the other hand, Ray- mah’s wardrobe is professional and carefully selected. She likes modern, colorful clothing and
chooses accessories that comple- ment her attire and can be, as she says, “fun.” Mrs. Claus uses a lot of makeup, but Raymah, being blessed with bright hazel eyes and a well-sculpted face, uses makeup sparingly.
continued on next page