How Life-size is a Life-size Santa Anyway? (Asking for a friend…)

Santa Claus looking surprised

Long seen as a symbol of Christmas, embodying the spirit of giving and joy that is associated with the holiday season, Santa Claus statues and figurines are a perennially popular choice for indoor and outdoor decorating in December. Thanks to the distinctive appearance and timeless allure of these statues, they are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer around homes and businesses. The variety of styles and designs available means that there is a Santa Claus statue to suit every taste and preference. From cute and exquisite shapes to lifelike figurines, there’s something for everyone. In addition, they come in a wide range of sizes, from hold-in-your-hand small to gargantuan large, and everything in between. The most popular, however, is doubtless the life-size Santa Claus. Which leads us to consider: How large, exactly, is a “life-size Santa”?

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Life-size Santas—Dressed for the Season

Life-size Santa figurine

At Christmas time, Santa Claus—that “jolly old elf”—can be found just about everywhere. Miniature Santa figurines stand atop mantles along with sleighs and tiny reindeer. Delicate glass Santa ornaments decorate the branches of Christmas trees. In the stores, plush Santa dolls sit, hoping to be claimed by a lucky child. Wooden Santa nutcrackers wait their turn to break open walnuts at a holiday party. And life-size Santas stand on porches and in yards, greeting visitors and passersby with the best of holiday cheer.

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Applause for Mrs. Claus!

Santa and Mrs. Claus figurines

For the countless adoring fans of legendary actress and singer Angela Lansbury, her recent passing no doubt evoked visions of her most memorable roles. For many, that would no doubt be the fictional writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the American whodunit series Murder, She Wrote, which ran for twelve seasons. For others, the part they remember most fondly might be the one that earned Ms. Lansbury a Tony award for the cheerfully demented Mrs. Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 operatic musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

And just to give you an insight into Ms. Lansbury’s dramatic range, consider that she also played Mrs. Lovett’s polar (get it, “polar”?) opposite, the equally cheerful role of Saint Nick’s spouse in the 1996 Hallmark Home Entertainment TV movie, Mrs. Santa Claus.

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