Elf on the Shelf

Whether it's the day after Thanksgiving or the first day of December, parents all over who celebrate Christmas have embarked on the nightly trickery of Elf on the Shelf.  Over the past few years this family tradition has really made a comeback. Comeback? Why yes! As a child, my sister and I had Elves on the shelves (without the fancy book though...and without the creative ideas found on pinterest). My sister and I each had our own elf. One was green & one was red and we switched who got which one each year.  To my recollection, we were the only people who participated in this activity...but I don't really know because I never asked my friends.  It was just something that happen each year during the Christmas season, it was normal to us. 

And so, when I had my first child, my Mom gave me "my elf." Of all the things she kept from our childhood after all these years (and if you know my Mom, she is a minimalist who doesn't keep anything!!)...she kept the elves. She IS sentimental!! LOL. How cool it was to embark on this tradition with my own kids! When I had my second child I had to figure out how to get another elf. Lucky for me, that is when the Elf on the Shelf book gained popularity.

You may be wondering the names of our elves... Treasure and Jingle Bell.  The kids are not at that age yet where they are claiming one elf over the other as their own.  They just embraced that the elves are part of our extended family during the Christmas season and enjoy seeking them out each morning, talking to them throughout the day, and saying good night at bed time.  While I usually start this tradition on December 1st, this year another friend of mine mentioned she starts it the day after Thanksgiving. Hmmm, I thought...when are the elves suppose to arrive? I looked through the book and it doesn't state when the elf appears on the shelf. Only that it happens at holiday time (with a picture of the Elf on the dinner table...a dinner table that looks a lot like a Thanksgiving meal.) Hmmm, I thought again.   So this year the elves showed up the day after Thanksgiving. What was I thinking?? That means a whole extra week of hiding & planning & trying not to forget to move those elves around! It was so much more fun being on the "seeking" end of this activity than on the "hiding" end. But alas...this wouldn't be a post in the Good Parent if I didn't think that this activity was completely worth the parental efforts! 

If you ever wonder where the magic of Christmas has gone...look no further than a child who has an Elf on the Shelf.  My kids completely believe that these special elves are Santa's helpers, that they look after baby Jesus, that they keep an eye on the kids during the day, and that each night they report on the days events only to return to our home in some random spot/ position. So far this season the elves have been caught hugging our Santa statue, reading books, watching baby Jesus in the manger, trapped in a clear vase, on the tree, in the stockings, riding on Colin's cars and tonight I'm going to have them eating Mommy's cookies that she's been baking all day! The excitement from the kids fuels my excitement to keep the tradition going for them! I over hear the kids talking to or about the elves with pure wonder & giddiness...it is so cute!

I don't remember being crushed when I found out that the elves weren't 'real'...maybe because I had been feeling the spirit of Christmas for so many years with the help of the elves that I no longer needed them to be a reminder?  If this tradition can instill a lasting sense of wonder &  a love of the Christmas season then I'll be thrilled with that. Even more so...I'll be thrilled if they continue the tradition with their families and the opportunity to see my Grand kids squeal with delight as they discover their Elf on the Shelf for the first time!