There’s an old poem, says Lisa Heileman, ’86, that is widely credited with expanding the mythos around Mrs. Claus and her role in the Christmas holiday.
Penned in 1889 by Katharine Lee Bates (author of “America the Beautiful”), the poem brings Mrs. Claus out of the shadows and onto the sleigh. Capable, curious and determined to share in the wonder of the holiday, Bates's Mrs. Claus claims her own voice and agency.
Photo by Jessica Birkett
Titled “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride,” the story has become both an inspiration and guide for Heileman, who first donned the bonnet of Santa’s dutiful wife seven years ago. With warmth, purpose and a cheerful dedication, she has found festive fame and a new path forward as a Mrs. Claus who would make the fiercely independent “Goody” proud.
“Mrs. Claus is still developing,” says Heileman. “She doesn’t have as long of a history as Santa, but she’s getting a bigger and bigger role these days. One of the things I’ve learned is that Mrs. Claus can do it all on her own. I don’t always need Santa with me, but I always let everybody know he is working hard with the elves.”
Of course, Heileman has her own Santa— he’s a family friend.
“My husband is friends with Santa. I know that sounds very strange,” she laughs, referring to longtime friend Sam Militello, who famously portrays Santa in Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and owns a reindeer farm in St. Clair. “Santa had asked my husband to create graphics for the trailer he carries his reindeer in. He also made a candy cane pattern for the fence panels, and they became really good friends.”
Her husband, Tim, introduced Heileman to the reindeer farm on their third date. There, they met a 9-day-old calf named Rodney and his mother, Annabelle—an early glimpse into the world she would soon join. In the 12 years since, the couple has grown more involved on the farm as “reindeer wranglers,” and Heileman was eventually invited to become Mrs. Claus.
Dressed in her finest fox-fur suit and “snowflake bonnet with the sunrise ribbons on it”—just as in the poem—Heileman found the role a natural fit. It pulls on all her strings, from high school theatre to her work in event management and local government, and the four years she spent as a Spartan developing skills in urban planning, public speaking and community engagement.
“MSU gave me opportunities to do a lot of internships, and, by the time I graduated, I slid right into the work environment,” she says. “The skills I learned at MSU translated well into being a Christmas performer. You really can do anything with a degree from MSU. You can take all those experiences and turn it into something that is uniquely yours.”
Heileman made her first appearance as Mrs. Claus during a Belle Tire corporate event at a bowling alley in 2018, followed by gigs in Rochester and Royal Oak.
“It’s a support role—directing lines, reading to the children, taking pictures and being a grandmotherly figure to the little ones who might be afraid of the big jolly man,” she says. “People are slowly opening their eyes to how important Mrs. Claus is, but there’s quite a bit of work yet to be done to break the icicle ceiling.”
While the world is still catching on to the value of Mrs. Claus, good performers are in short supply. There is only one Mrs. Claus for every 73 Santas, so the role is a responsibility as well as a privilege.
To refine her craft, she attended Santa Nana’s Holiday University, a traveling school just for Mrs. Clauses. There she learned performance skills as well as how to build a consistent backstory with new Santas. How the couple met, how long they’ve been married and whether to follow the traditional lore of Santa being 1,755 years old are more than minor details. Santa and Mrs. Claus need to be ready to answer every question and make every child feel heard.
Heileman also recently enrolled at the renowned Charles W. Howard Santa School in Midland, Mich., where she picked up new skills ranging from American Sign Language to techniques for working with neurodiverse children.
“They call it the Harvard of Santa schools,” she says. “I met Santas from Germany, the Bahamas, all over. I joined the world’s only completely Santa-and-Mrs.-Claus choir, and we sang Christmas music for all the other Santas. We focus on the spirit, the joy and the magic. It’s about being the best you can be for the kids.”
Heileman has crafted her “Goody” with great care. The average Christmas performer spends about 700 hours in the suit from the moment they start. That ticking clock has urged Heileman to reach out and bring as much merriment as possible to every appearance.
In just a few years, she has become the brightest star this side of the North Pole. She appeared with Santa on a throne of 27 hockey sticks during a Detroit Red Wings game in 2024—a gig they were invited back to this year when the Wings host the Dallas Stars on Dec. 23. She also played the part for the Detroit Lions in 2022, welcoming 3,500 nice-listers just hours after a 1,500-person event at Meadow Brook Hall.
“In the fourth quarter, they took us down to the field to bring a toy to a child,” she says. “We were able to wave to everyone as we walked to and from the tunnel. It was exciting. I felt like Taylor Swift out there.”
Heileman also serves as Recording Secretary for the Michigan Association of Professional Santas (MAPS) and the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IBRBS).
Recently, she found a picture of herself at 3 years old with Santa at the Masonic Temple during her father’s work party. Standing on a stage that felt enormous, her mind went blank when he asked what she wanted for Christmas. All she could muster was, “Jellybeans and icicles.”
She still laughs about it.
“That’s one story I’ll always carry,” Heileman says. “I hope when children meet me that it sparks a memory that brings them joy in the future. A memory that they can look back on and smile about.”
See below to read the 1889 Katharine Lee Bates poem, "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride."
