Like many families, we uphold the ELF ON THE SHELF tradition. However, when I signed up for this "FUN" tradition, I was surprised at how much work is involved with this little fellow.
When O was three years old her best friend from preschool, Ella, told her all about this ELF ON THE SHELF that came to her house around Thanksgiving. The story goes that every night the elf leaves the shelf and flies back to Santa to give him a report on the comings and goings of the children in the house. Each morning he returns to another spot and the children in the house search for him until he is found, only to repeat the process day after day until Christmas when he heads off with Santa in the sleigh. Thank goodness it isn't all year round! It’s like having another child.
Most importantly, the elf is never to be touched or his magic will disappear. Children can tell him whatever they wish Santa to bring them for Christmas and he will relay the information. (I guess it beats standing in line holding shopping bags and puffy ski coats for over an hour to sit on Santa's lap at a crowded mall.)
O named her elf, Elfie. There's an amazing website you can go and register your elf and print out an adoption certificate. It's very fancy. Also on this website there are many games kids like to play along with crafts and coloring pages. O wakes up every morning and goes to bed every evening begging to log on to elfontheshelf.com.
The whole process takes important planning and preparation on the part of us parents. Each year it seems to get more difficult to hide our forgetfulness in moving our "magical" Elfie. For example, this year O has been telling Elfie where to sit when he returned from his intel mission to the North Pole. He was on the bookshelf one morning and she wanted to draw him, so she asked him to come back and sit on her easel the next day so it would be easier to see him. I find myself asking my husband via text or email: a.) if he moved the elf and b.) if he didn't, did he hear where she asked Elfie to come back to so I can place him there. Who knew text and email would come in so handy in the same household! Now I’d just like to stuff a voice activated recorder down his tights.
Last year when we forgot to move the elf after a late night martini Christmas party, O came to the side of my bed and said, "Mommy, wake up. Elfie didn't move, but it's not because I was bad, it's because he was sitting so low that I believe our dog licked him and his magic went away. I sure hope his magic comes back." I replied, "I'm certain it will as soon as I get rid of this pounding headache and the cat that slept in my mouth last night." Apparently, Elfie doesn’t appease hangovers. (Surprising as I’ve heard Mrs. Claus is a lush. Who wouldn’t with a husband always hanging out with elves and talking to animals!)
This morning O awoke to tell me that she was going downstairs to find Elfie. I tried to talk her into taking a bath first, but no dice. I took a gamble that my husband remembered. He had. Tomorrow I may not be so lucky! Kindergarten SUCKS!
I swear I need to stop drinking during advent now - we've already had to do TWO emergency morning-time elf moves. It's really hard to distract three kids while one of us stealthfully relocated Xavier, our elf. We're only in year 2 of our elf, and I hate him already!!
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