Mrs Santa Claus

Dear Erica,

I am a little old lady. There, I said it. I find no shame in this fact. Although that would imply that it's some sort of dirty secret. Which it most certainly is not. I do not hide my Murder She Wrote DVD collection when I have guests over. I wrap myself in an afghan from time to time. I use Oil of Olay twice a day, and have since I was 20. So long as I don't invite people over to snuggle with me under my afghan while we solve crime with Jessica Fletcher, and then offer them dollops of Oil of Olay between episodes, I see no harm in embracing my inner bitty.

I look forward to my annual viewing of Mrs Santa Claus much in the same way one anticipates a trip to Disneyland or the last day of school. Not only do I get a Christmas movie, but one starring my favorite old gal, Angela Lansbury. I have imaginary conversations with Angie (she likes it when I call her that) and the two of us have become fast friends. We have discussed at great length her performance as Mrs Claus. She loved the departure from her TV series because, as she puts it: "There were no corpses." That's a good thing, too, because that poor woman has seen enough murder and mayhem for a lifetime.

She is marvelous in this cheery original musical. It's very rare for there to be new musicals on stage these days, let alone the tube. So what a treat that Jerry Herman was given the chance to write a show that he would never have been given the opportunity to do in the theatre. The days of his lilting ballads and leading lady showstoppers have long passed in favor of jukebox musicals made up of songs from unemployed rock bands. Herman has written some of the loveliest musical scores of all time; Hello Dolly, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles, and Mack and Mabel to name a few. While all of these are lovely, none of their music comes close to being as enchanting as the ditties he composed for this North Pole extravaganza. Every song is endlessly hummable and I admit that while I only watch this movie once a year, I listen to the soundtrack constantly.

CBS used to air this every Christmas, but they have not done so in quite some time. Finding the DVD is also somewhat of a challenge, as shelves are not adorned with it in December as they are with Scrooged or Home Alone. Of course it is available for purchase on Amazon, but I worry that the target clientele for this movie have never heard of any other Amazon than the river in South America. I beg you to snap up any copies you come across and donate them to the nearest nursing home. The old folks will be tapping their toes joyfully throughout the holidays, although it should be explained first that they needn't be worried because nobody is going to kill Santa Claus. Nor do they have to keep up with the elves for possible suspects. As for me, I just might watch it twice this year. And also try my hand at knitting.

Till next time,
Bradley