Elf on the Shelf

Just to put it on the record, I think the Elf on the Shelf is creepy. It's already a little strange for me that Santa knows if I've been naughty or nice, but now he's got elves spying on us?! Elves who don't talk or move and look surprisingly like puppets. I mean, really, what kind of kid actually thinks that elf is a bonafide elf. They know the thing is a doll, right? I'm curious how many times our elf has been touched but miraculously did not lose her magic powers keeping her from moving to a new spot in the morning since there is no way I can guarantee my daughter has not touched the elf. "You didn't touch the elf, did you?" "No." Like she would really say yes if she did. I have no clue. I don't have the elf on a nanny cam. Besides, the elf doesn't do anything that Santa wasn't already doing on his own. All that elf does is make more work for me. Assuming kids believe in Santa until they are 7 or 8, we do this elf thing between December 1st and 24th each year, and Sofia is nice enough not to ruin it for her brothers as soon as she finds out it's all a sham, that means I have to keep this up for another 6 years and find some 142 more hiding places. Lord help me. All that work for one month worth of marginally better behavior. Because, let's face it, no kid says, "I better behave otherwise Santa won't bring me any presents for Christmas" in JULY.

That being said, Sofia seems to enjoy finding our elf, Curtsy, in new hiding places. Whether or not she actually believes that Curtsy flies to Santa every evening with a report (which I'm guessing she doesn't since she asked me why Curtsy never moves or talks several times this year already), she does believe Christmas has a magic all it's own. Whatever I can do to help that magic thrive, I will do. It's all for the enjoyment of Christmas. There are some days our elf just moves from the bookshelf in one room to a bookshelf in another room. But for the most part, Curtsy finds herself in creative situations. Or rather I should say Sofia finds Curtsy in creative situations. Sofia isn't so excited about Curtsy that she bolts out of bed in the morning and instantly searches the house. But her eyes do light up if I ask her if she found Curtsy that day. If Curtsy was doing something amusing, Sofia lets out a great laugh. "She was at the coffee machine! Silly, Curtsy" like she talking about one of her friends at school. This is the part that I like about the Elf on the Shelf. The gentle nudge part. The friendly reminder. The hide and seek game portion. The creation and bond to a magical friend.

Did a part of me buy into this Shelved Elf thing so that Sofia wouldn't be the only kid in school without one? Sure. I'll admit I felt some "everybody else is doing it" pressure.  I don't want Sofia to feel less special because she doesn't have Santa's elves visiting her. My parents did a lot to keep my belief in Santa strong. I'm sure my brother helped out too since he knew what was up long before I did and he didn't spill the beans. He is 5 years older than me. I remember one year we had to go out of town on Christmas Eve and I was so distraught that Santa would not know where to find me if we were weren't home for Christmas. My parents told me they were sure he'd know where I was. And sure enough Christmas morning I woke up and found a ginormous teddy bear sitting on a seat by the bed - a gift from Santa. Our Santa presents were always wrapped in different paper than our family gifts - which also happens to be how I remember learning the truth about Santa. Same gift wrap. Heeeeeeyyyyy, wait a minute! Up until that point, however, my parents kept the Santa magic strong. Looking back I appreciate the effort they made. Kids grow up so fast and life really can be the pits when you get older so why not make childhood as magical and wonderful and exciting as possible. When our kids get older, I hope they will remember the effort we placed on making Santa seem real, and I hope that will just add more magic to an already magical time of year.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on or memories of Santa and his elves.

In the meantime, here are some photos of Curtsy's hiding places last year.

I outfitted our elf with a home made skirt and some bling on her hat. 

Three-year-old Sofia was particularly irritated that the elf drew on her photo. Like moved to tears. 

I was most proud of this one. Climbing the tree using candy canes! I didn't even steal this from Pinterest!

Checking herself out online. 

Two elves are better than one. 

Orange you glad you found Curtsy? 

Uh-oh. 

Relaxing in a Christmas hammock on Christmas Eve.