Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus: Musical Christmas play in four scenes

In Short

Maud Brunton's four-scene musical Christmas play, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, centers on a festive crisis when both Santa Claus and the Fairy Queen neglect their seasonal duties because they have fallen in love with each other. To restore order, a presidential messenger is transformed into a handsome fairy prince to win the Queen's heart, sparking a comical chain of jealousy, a fabricated fire, a Supreme Court ruling, and a double wedding. It has endured as a lighthearted, musical school entertainment that combines fairy-tale whimsy with holiday cheer.

The Story

The play opens in the Fairy Queen's palace, where Santa Claus arrives and immediately begins dancing with the beautiful Fairy Queen, entirely abandoning his workshop responsibilities. At the same time, a presidential messenger arrives from the United States to report that Christmas is in jeopardy because no trees, holly, or turkeys are growing. The fairy attendants decide to intervene by transforming the messenger into a handsome Fairy Prince so he can win the Queen's affections and allow Santa to return to work. The plan succeeds immediately when the Prince kisses the Queen, filling her with the spirit of youth. Old Santa arrives, witnesses their romance with heartbreak, and takes the advice of the fairy Flossie Fixit to channel his grief into making toys for the children.

Left alone with the Prince, the Queen is soon separated from him through a trick devised by Flossie and the messenger Thomas Page. They hand the Prince a fake telegram claiming his home is on fire and his mother will burn unless he hurries away. The Prince rushes off, and the mischievous elf Gossip spreads a false rumor that the Prince has perished in the blaze. Hearing this, the grief-stricken Queen nearly loses her mind, prompting Billy Bundy to bring Santa Claus in to comfort her. In her vulnerable state, the Queen agrees to marry Santa. Two months later, in Santa's home, the newly married couple bickers playfully when Santa immediately puts his bride to work making Christmas trees and turkeys grow. Once the work is finished at noon, Santa insists she join his gift delivery, but she refuses, believing he no longer loves her and mourning her lost Prince.

Meanwhile, Flossie wakes the sleeping Prince with the Queen's wand, and upon seeing him return through Santa's spy glass, the Queen rushes off to join him. Elsewhere on his travels, Santa discovers a weeping old lady dressed in red who was hoping to play Mrs. Santa Claus for her missing son. Santa invites her along to help distribute gifts, and the two enjoy the journey immensely. When Santa and the old lady return to his home, they encounter the Queen and the Prince, who have just arrived and are regretting their actions out of fear of breaking Santa's heart. Thomas Page enters to announce a Supreme Court ruling declaring the Queen's marriage to Santa null and void because humans and fairies cannot wed, and Santa is determined to be human. Santa generously gives the Prince and Queen to each other as a Christmas gift. He then introduces the old lady, who joyfully discovers that the Prince is her long-lost son. A double wedding ensues, officiated by Billy Bundy, uniting Santa with the mother and the Prince with the Queen. The play concludes with festive songs, dances, and a generous distribution of gifts to the audience.

How It Unfolds

The royal distraction Santa Claus visits the Fairy Queen's palace, and the two become so infatuated with each other that they completely abandon their global Christmas duties.

The transformation A presidential messenger arrives to investigate the delay in holiday preparations and is magically transformed into a handsome fairy prince to court the Queen.

The fabricated emergency To separate the Queen from the Prince so Santa can resume his work, the fairies send a false telegram claiming the Prince's home is on fire.

The comfort of old arms After Gossip spreads a lie that the Prince has died in the fire, the heartbroken Queen agrees in her despair to marry Santa Claus.

The refusal and the spy glass Two months into their marriage, the Queen refuses to help deliver gifts, leading Santa to depart alone while the Queen watches the returning Prince through a magic spy glass.

The double wedding After a Supreme Court decree invalidates the human-fairy marriage, Santa unites the Prince with the Queen and marries the Prince's mother, creating two happy couples.

The People

Santa Claus is the central figure who neglects his workshop duties because he is deeply in love with the Fairy Queen, but he ultimately channels his heartbreak into toy-making and proves remarkably forgiving and tender-hearted.

The Fairy Queen is captivated by both Santa's goodness and the Prince's youthful charm, initially neglecting her natural duties of growing holiday foliage until love, grief, and magic steer her course.

The Fairy Prince, originally a presidential messenger, is transformed into a handsome suitor who wins the Queen's heart, unwittingly causes widespread emotional chaos, and is finally reunited with both the Queen and his long-lost mother.

Flossie Fixit is the clever and scheming fairy maid who orchestrates the deceptive telegram and the sleeping spell to manipulate the romance and restore order.

Billy Bundy serves as the solemn fairy minister who guides the ceremonies, while Thomas Page acts as the resourceful messenger who assists with the elaborate plots and delivers the legal decree.

Gossip is the mischievous elf who spreads rumors about the fire, adding complications before the final resolutions unfold.

The Old Lady, found weeping by her fireplace while trying to play Mrs. Santa Claus, turns out to be the mother of the Fairy Prince and finds a joyful new beginning as Santa's bride.

In Its Own Voice

When Santa Claus first arrives at the palace and meets the ruler of the realm, the stage directions capture their immediate connection:

SANTA and QUEEN dance together.

When the presidential messenger first encounters the stalled holiday preparations, he highlights the global panic:

What is the matter here? The little children all over the world are wondering if Christmas is going to be late.

When the magical complications finally unwind at the end of the story, Santa displays his characteristic generosity:

Cheer up, Prince. I don’t want to be transformed into a fairy. I would rather be human. I am going to get you to each other as my Christmas gift to you.

What It's Really About

The play explores the tension between duty and romantic desire, suggesting that responsibilities to the wider world—and particularly to children—must ultimately balance personal affections. It also examines the nature of aging, youth, and wisdom, contrasting the steady, practical goodness of Santa Claus with the impulsive romanticism of the fairy realm. Beneath its lighthearted musical framework, the story questions whether happiness can be engineered through deception, ultimately arguing that forgiveness, generosity, and community care are essential to true holiday joy.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy vintage holiday pageants, whimsical fairy-tale pastiche, and light theatrical comedies will find a lot to love here. Reading it feels like stepping into a 1920s school auditorium, complete with stage directions for phonograph records, musical numbers, and simple costuming. Modern readers should be prepared for period conventions, including lighthearted melodrama, simplistic dialogue, and conventional early-twentieth-century theatrical tropes. However, its brisk pacing, charming mischief, and warm-hearted resolution make it a delightful historical curiosity for anyone interested in classic Christmas entertainments.