I dedicate my poem, "I Put on My Garment," to Mrs. Clauses, and all women, who face criticism for their clothing and hair choices. I was inspired by actor Sheryl Lee Ralph. Her appearance as Mrs. Claus in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was a revelation.

Here's two things for Mrs. Clauses to remember:

✅We know how to hit our professional marks.

✅We wear what makes us so happy we can't keep from singing.

In the Claus community, we can fear changes, including necessary tweaks to our image, from more comfortable shoes to hats that stay on in the wind. Sometimes, updates get us closer to the very heart of our own Creator. 🎨 In adapting, we are better able to radiate and serve while welcoming the living spirits of those no longer with us.

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I Put on My Garment

by Ann Votaw, Mrs. Claus NYC

I put on my garment

made of breath,

of leaves that fall.

Their death

instructs eternity.

I am queen in my garment

that brushes roots and what came before.

I lift my silver head

to cathedral

and great sky.

A fine city day.

Blue.

Cold.

It is fall going into

darkest winter.

I fear nothing

in this fullness.

Not the roar of the subway,

Nor my cat’s purr

gone still in sleep.