She was raised in a family with several brothers and sisters who, according to her, collected a lot of things. She was the only one who didn't collect anything until 1962 but has made up for it throughout the years and now has a collection of between 4,000 and 5,000 pieces.

Her collection consists of Santa Clauses, which are displayed in numerous varieties throughout her home in Russellville.

We'll call her “Mrs. Claus,” not only because she spends more time with the big fellow than most but also because she wishes to remain anonymous, afraid that going public would jeopardize her collection, which she says is very important to her.

When walking into Mrs. Claus's home, you cannot help but feel the Christmas spirit where everywhere you turn Santa is there. From figurines of all sizes, towels, teapots and magnets to rugs, blankets and wall hangings, Santa has literally taken over Mrs. Claus's home.

Mrs. Claus says didn't tell her family at first what she was collecting because she was worried they might steal her idea and collect Santas for themselves. After they found out, however, that seems to be what she gets from them for all occasions now. She doesn't mind, though, because she considers all her Santas are special and enjoys getting new ones. She says she doesn't think she has two of one kind and gets excited when she gets one that is different.

Mrs. Claus purchases Santas herself as well. She finds a lot of them in yard sales and auctions. Sometimes, she says, you will get a box full of stuff from a sale and when you go through it you can find Christmas decorations.

The very first Santa Claus that Mrs. Claus bought was from Kuhns five & dime, which used to be located in the old Hancock building in Russellville.

Mrs. Claus also makes Santas herself. She is currently working on converting corn cobs into clauses. She also makes life-sized paper mach