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Mom's hilarious plea to leave cookies out for Mrs. Claus instead of Santa is so spot on

Because who do you think is ACTUALLY making that list, and checkin it twice? 😂

@pennymiddleton/TikTok

Give Mrs. Claus her plate of cookies already.

Every year, moms around the world take on even more responsibility to create Christmas magic for their families, often without ever being on the receiving end of any sort of holiday cheer themselves.

Even Father Christmas himself, Santa Claus, gets all the credit—and more importantly, all the cookies—while poor Mrs. Claus remains an unsung Yuletide hero. When, let’s be honest, if this fictional couple were in fact real, it would be Mrs. C making sure those presents were getting where they needed to be.

And that’s exactly why Connecticut mom Penny Middleton is calling for a new tradition.

Back in 2023, Middleton created a hilarious PSA explaining the invisible labor that likely happens “behind the scenes” at Santa's workshop.

“We’ve all been believing in this collective delusion,” Middleton dryly said while holding Santa and Mrs. Claus dolls. “You cannot tell me that this man ... organizes Christmas and goes around the world, makes a list and checks it twice, without the help of this woman.”

She then drove this idea home by acting out a conversation between the imaginary spouses. The ever organized Mrs. Claus has not only digitized the gift list, but is reminding her husband for the upteenth time to check it twice all while handling Rudolph's red nose (which is actually COVID).


@pennymiddleton Mrs. Claus doesn't just deck the halls; she's the unsung hero ensuring the North Pole runs smoothly while Santa gets all the credit. 🤶🏾 👏🏽 #mrsclaus #christmas #newyork #ticktock #comedy #new #holiday #TikTokMagic #feminism #intersecionalfeminism ♬ original sound - Penny Middleton

Meanwhile, Santa needs help finding his hat…which is on his head.

And this is why, henceforth, Middleton and her family are leaving cookies out for Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Claus only, for she is the true unsung hero of Christmas.

In an interview with TODAY, Middleton said that her idea came about after one Christmas Eve where she had stayed up late assembling her daughter’s Barbie Dream House so that she could play with it immediately on Christmas Day, rather than sitting and watching it being put together.

This was something her husband found “incredible,” and he admitted, “I never would have thought to do that.”

This is just one example of how moms go out of their way, often at the expense of their own wellbeing, to make magic happen. And like Mrs. Claus, they rarely get credit. Which is why so many moms found her plight incredibly relatable.

“Santa is out shoveling snow and painting the reindeer’s barn on Dec. 23 with zero sense of urgency about the list.”

  • “He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he left it at home, he’s texting his wife.”
  • “And who else packs his snacks for the road, a water bottle and snacks for the reindeer? I know it’s not Santa.”
  • “I told my son to take a pic with Mrs. Claus because she’s really the one doing the work while Santa works one night a year.”
  • “Justice for Mrs. Claus! We see you sis!”
  • “1000% he has no idea what’s inside those presents.”

For Mrs. Claus, and all the moms ensuring warm holiday meals, perfectly wrapped presents, and meticulously decorated trees and every other well thought of details that conjures up those warm and fuzzy Christmas feels…may you get that plate of cookies this year. You deserve it.

Find even more of Middleton's funny, relatable content on Instagram.

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Culture

A woman's story of mistakenly sharing the holiday spirit with a stranger has people in stitches

Need a good laugh? Take a few minutes to revisit this bit of "reckless joy" and holiday hilarity.

Mary Katherine Backstrom/Facebook

Mary Katherine Backstrom accidentally shared her Christmas joy with the wrong person at a gas station.

What's better than a heartwarming story of holiday cheer? How about a heartwarming story that turns out to be a hilarious moment of holiday embarrassment?

When Mary Katherine Backstrom of Fort Myers, Florida, decided to do a good deed for a stranger in a gas station convenience store, she had no idea that her most embarrassing moment would result in a viral story viewed by millions.

It all started when the writer and mother of two was killing time at the Wawa, a local gas station and convenience store, before picking up her kids from school. She had just been reading a story on Facebook about how everyone is so generous over the holidays and how the spirit of giving lifts everyone's mood, so she decided to pass along some of that spirit to someone else. The woman behind her in line was just buying a ginger ale, so Backstrom offered to pay for it. It was a simple but lovely act of kindness, the woman was moved, and holiday magic was made.

Backstrom left the store to go back to her car, still full of the Christmas spirit, and found a man cleaning her windshield. Blown away by the magic of the holidays and the reverberating kindness of strangers, Backstrom walked up to the man, gave him a huge hug, and told him how much she loved humanity and the magic of Christmas.

Only one problem—it wasn't her car, it was his. Oh. My. Word. The awkwardness of it all.

You have to hear her tell it, complete with infectious laughter, and don't be surprised if you feel compelled to watch it over and over again. When Christmas cheer meets abject embarrassment, holiday hilarity is born.

The Facebook Live video has been viewed more than 23 million times in just a few days, and has already been shared nearly 100,000 times. Clearly people are loving it.

Backstrom told Upworthy, "I think the reason it is resonating is that the holidays can be a very hard time for adults, and we forget about the levity of holiday magic, and crave it in these times." She admits she was highly caffeinated and a little sleep deprived—as most mothers of young children are—when she hugged and gushed all over an unsuspecting stranger, but she hopes to continue to live her life "with reckless joy."

"This one moment has returned so much laughter and encouragement to my life that I have to think there is something to this," she says. "Humans miss warm interactions, even if they are a little...erm...bizarre."

Here's to the bizarre, awkward, recklessly joyful human moments that bring us all together.


This article was first published on 12.09.19.

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Video of husband realizing his wife's stocking went unfilled for 10 years has moms talking

What was meant as a joke felt all too real to moms responsible for creating holiday magic.

@whataboutaub/TikTok

It took ten years for a husband to realize his wife received and empty stocking every year

Back in 2021, wife and mom Aubree Jones posted a video to her TikTok that she thought would provide a relatable chuckle among other moms.

Instead, other moms found it heartbreaking.

In the clip, titled “PSA for husbands everywhere,” Aubree’s husband, Josh, is filming their family unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. He goes around to each of the family members’ stockings, until he comes upon an empty one.

“Whose is this?” Josh asks. “Is this an extra one?”

Aubree answers, “No, that’s mine,” with a smile.

Josh then asks why the stocking is empty, to which Aubree quips, “I don’t know. Santa didn’t come for me.”

“It took him 10 years to notice it’s been empty this whole time,” Aubree captioned, adding “your wife’s stocking is your responsibility."

Considering Aubree meant for the video to be a “lighthearted thing to show what moms go through," as she told TODAY.com, she was totally taken aback by the visceral, negative reactions to it.

Many noted it wasn’t just Josh’s act of forgetting to fill his wife’s stocking that was hurtful, but then simply laughing it off after realizing the neglect.


“She laughs. But I knew inside it hurt,”the top comment read.

Another person wrote, “all of us women felt that in our stomach. It hurt.”

@whataboutaub It took him 10 years to notice it’s been empty this whole time. @Josh Jones #marriedlife #marriage #husbandsoftiktok #fail #ohno #christmas #psa #pregnant ♬ Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

Here are a few more:

“I got a bit teary.. you can tell there is some pain behind the ‘that’s mine.’”

"The little girl in her felt so left out."

“Not just the lack of gifts. The lack of thought…”

“Believe me, she wanted to cry, not laugh.”

"This is a good example that mom does all the stuff and nobody notices."

"I would’ve been divorced.

"This literally broke my heart."

Though Aubree assured TODAY.com that her marriage dynamic was nowhere near as unhealthy as the video made it seem (she even went so far so to send a follow-up video showing how he actually did give her thoughtful Christmas gifts) her video highlighted a sad reality many moms face during the holidays.

When creating all the magic of the season—the decor, the gifts, the foods, the social plans, the outfits for the Christmas card, coming up with bigger and better Elf on the Shelf position etc., etc, etc., etc., etc., all the etc. 's—fall solely on their shoulders, many moms are robbed of the chance to actually enjoy it themselves.

So much has improved in terms of marriage equality, but it would be naive to think that there aren’t still ways that moms are often expected to pull off herculean feats in order for their families to enjoy the fruits of their labor, all the while juggling multiple other responsibilities, and still not fully being seen.

If moms are moving heaven and earth to make sure their families feel loved this holiday season, let’s make sure we are doing the same for them.

moms of tampa, mom and stepmom become best friendsMeet the Moms of Tampa, winning hearts online while advocating for healthy co-parenting.Instagram

The way everyone gets some Christmas joy.


This article originally appeared on 12.21.23

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Family

Mom finds brilliant way to tell her kids the 'truth' about Santa and other parents take notes

If you're a parent struggling how to break the news, this might help.

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

How to tell your kids the truth about Santa.

"It's the mooost wonderful tiiiiime of the — OH NO, did Charlie just ask if Santa is real?!"

If you're a parent in a household that celebrates Christmas, you can likely relate to the dreaded Santa Claus conversation. It may come with tears, it may come with tantrums, and it may even be worse for you, seeing that heart-wrenching look of disappointment spread across your child's once-merry face.

It's a dilemma Charity Hutchinson of British Columbia was pondering, as a mom to two young boys and the two nephews she cares for as well.

family, advice, truth for kids

Hutchinson family and the truth about Santa.

Photo by Theresa Easter Photography.

One of Hutchinson's nephews raised the notorious question, telling her he no longer believed in Santa Claus.

"I felt sad because he seemed disappointed telling me his news," she explained in a message. "And in that moment I didn't know what to say to him."

Hutchinson soon stumbled upon some advice online, finding what she described as “by far the best idea I’ve seen about telling your kids about Santa."

The idea of Santa may seem frivolous to many adults, but to believe in something much bigger than yourself, only to learn you've been lied to by the people you trust most in the world? That can be a really big deal to a kid (and can possibly even create long-term trust issues for them, as one study found). The Santa conversation is one many parents understandably want to get right.

So when Hutchinson saw one of her friends on Facebook share an anonymous post detailing a strategy for breaking the news to your kids without disappointing them, she was thrilled.

Hutchinson loved the idea so much, she shared it on Facebook as well:

This is by far the best idea I've seen about telling your kids about Santa. Had to share! *********"In our family, we...
Posted by Charity Hutchinson on Tuesday, November 29, 2016

This is how it works:

1. Find a time to take your kid out, one-on-one, to a favorite spot and deliver the great news: The time has come for them to become a Santa.

"When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready. I take them out 'for coffee' at the local wherever. We get a booth, order our drinks, and the following pronouncement is made: 'You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown, too.'"

The post suggests pointing to a few different examples of how your kid has shown empathy or done something nice for another person throughout the past year. Let them know it was in those moments they proved themselves worthy of finally "becoming a Santa" themselves.

2. Assure your kid that they're ready to become a Santa because they understand the true meaning of giving (it's not just about the milk and cookies).

"You probably have noticed that most of the Santas you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that because they aren't ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE."

Get them talking about all the reasons they think Santa's the best. They may start out by pointing to his sleigh-riding skills or the fact he can go around the whole world in just one night. But move the conversation toward Santa being not so much of a cool person, but a cool concept that's focused on giving. Handing out presents makes the spirit of Santa a spectacular thing. Because your kid understands why giving back matters too, it's time they become a Santa themselves.

Also, "make sure you maintain the proper conspiratorial tone," the post notes.

3. Now that they're in on the secret, have them choose someone who could really use a great gift and devise a plan to give it away — secretly, of course.

"We then have the child choose someone they know — a neighbor, usually. The child's mission is to secretly, deviously, find out something that the person needs, and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it — and never reveal to the target where it came from. Being a Santa isn't about getting credit, you see. It's unselfish giving."

In the original post, the writer explains that their oldest child decided to buy a gift for a neighbor who always walked out to get the newspaper without her shoes on. Their son spied on the neighbor one day from the bushes to estimate her shoe size — he predicted she wore mediums — and then slipped a pair of slippers under her driveway gate one evening with a note "from Santa." The following morning, the neighbor was spotted wearing the slippers. Their son was ecstatic.

4. Remind them that being a Santa is top-secret business. And that, next year, they can carry on with their selfless Santa duties once again.

"I had to remind him that NO ONE could ever know what he did or he wouldn't be a Santa. Over the years, he chose a good number of targets, always coming up with a unique present just for them."

One year, for instance, he polished up a bike for a family friend's daughters. The writer's son was just as over the moon about giving the gift as the daughters were about receiving it.

In a little over a week, Hutchinson's post has racked up thousands of Likes and shares, with plenty of thankful parents chiming in in the comments.

"I never imagined it would be so popular!" Hutchinson explains. "I mean, it felt special when I read it and completely gave me goosebumps, but I didn't realize it would go this far."

Where the original post came from is still somewhat of a mystery. As The Huffington Post reported, it seems to have first cropped up in 2007 in an online forum. Ever since, the idea has floated around the web here and there, but has only made waves recently with Hutchinson's post going viral.

The secret of being a Santa, so to speak, has already worked its holiday magic on Hutchinson's once-suspicious nephew.

Filling him in on becoming a Santa was an instant game-changer, she says.

"His eyes lit right up," she writes. "That excitement and joy returned to him and he couldn't stop asking me questions! ... Instantly I could see the wheels were turning and he started planning who his special target would be and what he would get them and how he'd pull it off."

Hutchinson is happy her simple Facebook post has turned into something so special. "It isn't just a nice way to break the news to your kids," she writes. "But it really teaches them about the true meaning of Christmas and how you should always give to others."


This article originally appeared on 12.09.16

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