Remembering the days of the “Elf on the Shelf”

The "Elf on the Shelf"

Have you heard about the “Elf on the Shelf?” If you haven’t, it is a little material elf about 8 inches in height that comes in a keepsake box with a hardcover book you read your children called “The Elf on the Shelf.”  The book explains all about the elf and how he is Santa’s helper during the holidays. The elf watches each day to make sure the boys and girls are being good. At night, while the children are sleeping he reports back to Santa about how the kids were that day. When the kids wake up the elf is usually in a new spot somewhere around the house. It is somewhat of a family tradition during the Christmas holiday for many and the fun part for the kids is finding out where the elf is hiding each day.

When my girls were 3 and 5 years old is when we got him. We read the book, named the elf and registered him online. And that night the elf started playing the hide and seek game. Well, it didn’t last long, and my girls were frightened of the “Elf on the Shelf.”  We ended up telling the girls the elf had to go to the North Pole to help Santa and wouldn’t be back that year. The girls were happy he was gone.

We brought him back about three years later. The girls were helping me put up the Christmas decorations and found the elf packed away in a box with our Christmas stuff. They begged to have him out again and for us to re-read the story.

Since the girls were older ages 6 and 8, my husband and I thought we would have some fun with the elf.  The girls were in elementary school and both of their teachers had an “Elf on the Shelf” in their classrooms. Their teachers told the students the elf would be watching the class, so the kids needed to be good.

That year, my 8-year-old daughter became a little obsessed with our elf. At first, she was skeptical about the elf being “real” because she told me he’s just a stuffed animal with a tag. But after her teacher brought out the elf in school and told the kids the elf was “real,” she wanted her elf at home to be “real” too. She decided she would leave her iPod out and ask him to make her a video. She had seen other videos online other elves had made. She also wrote him a note. That night she couldn’t sleep. She kept waking up to see if he moved, to see if he wrote her a note back or if he did a video. She was a little afraid and excited at the same time. She hardly slept. The next morning, the elf was in a different spot and wrote her a note. She was so excited and couldn’t wait for the next night.

The next day and night were worse, as far as my daughter’s obsession with the elf. All she could think about was this elf and where was he going to move and how he moved. If that wasn’t bad enough my 6-year-old daughter, who by the way didn’t really care one way or the other about the elf, played a trick the older one. She moved the elf during the day, wrote a note from the elf and even made a video with the elf moving. This really had older daughter nervous. Even though the younger daughter admitted to moving the elf, my 8-year-old couldn’t sleep that night and my husband finally had to box up the elf and ship him back to the North Pole.

The elf came back last Christmas, when the girls found him hiding in our garage in one of the Christmas boxes. Even though they were 10 and 12, they decided to give him away to my nephew who was looking for an elf of his own. We joke about the elf and I think the girls kind of miss him, but secretly I think they are glad he isn’t in the house.

It's the time of year for Christmas family traditions

The holidays are a time of family, friends and holiday traditions. Yes, family traditions passed down from generation to generation can make the holidays fun and entertaining for your kids.

Most of you probably have at least one family tradition you do for the holidays. One of the reasons I love family traditions is because I get to experience and re-live some of the memorable moments I had when I was a kid. In my family we celebrate Christmas, so some of our traditions take place before Christmas leading up to December 25.

 

Our first family tradition for Christmas starts right after Thanksgiving, it's baking cookies. My mother-in-law actually started this family tradition with me. We spend an afternoon baking dozens of homemade cookies to give away to friends and family during the holiday season. My girls love doing this and can't wait to decorate and of course eat the cookies. We do this every other year, since we rotate spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family and my husband's family each year.

On the year's we have Thanksgiving with my family, we usually go shopping the day after Thanksgiving for Black Friday. Since the kids are off of school for a week during Thanksgiving, we usually take time to decorate the house that week. We put up an artificial Christmas tree, lights and hang stockings along with festive decorations throughout the house. I tried putting out the Elf on the Shelf a few years ago, but we had to send the Elf back to Santa. My girls thought it was a little scary having something move around the house each night.

A fun family tradition I know a lot of people do is sending out Christmas cards. My mom always sends out a family photo Christmas card, so when I started my own family, I continued the tradition. When the girls were younger I used to take them to see Santa in the mall and get a photo. I remember sitting on Santa's lap when I was little and he would always give out candy canes.

I know Santa is probably a tradition quite a few of you have in your home. The tradition of Santa bringing gifts on Christmas morning has been passed down for generations in my family. My girls also like writing letters to Santa and sending them to the North Pole.

A new tradition I started with my girls is a video from Santa. He delivers it to my email for them. The video is high tech with real reindeers and Santa personalizes the message specifically to each of my daughters. You can have your own message for your children for free by going to www.PortableNorthPole.com.

Ever since I can remember, as a child I was allowed to open one present on December 23, my dad's birthday. My parents now let my kids open a present on my dad's birthday.

Another family tradition is we open all your presents on Christmas Eve from family and on Christmas Day from Santa. My husband's family has a different tradition and has a family Christmas Day brunch and opens family presents.

One of my favorite traditions is going to church on Christmas Eve, singing "Silent Night" by candlelight and hearing about the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. I love seeing the church decorated with green trees, twinkling lights and beautiful red poinsettias.  On Christmas Eve, our girls sprinkle the lawn with reindeer food made from oatmeal and leave milk and cookies for Santa. 

I asked my friends what some of their favorite traditions and thought I would share some of them with you. Several friends had some of the same traditions as my family, like sprinkling reindeer food on the front lawn and setting out milk and cookies for Santa. Others had different traditions like stringing fresh popcorn around the tree, looking at lights on Christmas Eve, eating oranges with a candy cane, and playing BINGO with the family. One friend says each year she has Christmas Eve dinner with her in-laws and then the family flies out on Christmas to see snow with her family. Another friend's family tradition includes a Sweedish Christmas Eve dinner with lutefisk (a dried salted whitefish.)

This year think about your holiday tradition and if you don't have one maybe start one.

Family elf returns to North Pole

For many families, the Elf on the Shelf is Santa’s helper during the holidays. The elf, about 8 inches in height and made of felt, comes in a keepsake box with a hardcover book by the same title.

In our house, he has only been a source of fear and trepidation.

The book that the elf watches each day to make sure the boys and girls are being good. At night, while the children are sleeping, he reports back to Santa about how the kids were that day.  When the kids wake up the elf is usually in a new spot somewhere around the house. It is a family tradition for many and the fun part for the kids is finding out where the elf is hiding.

Three years ago, a friend gave us the book along with the elf. I think my girls were 3 and 5 when we got him. We read the book, named the elf and registered him online. That night the elf started playing the hide and seek game. Well, it didn’t last long and my girls were frightened of the “Elf on the Shelf.”  We ended up telling the girls the elf had to go to the North Pole to help Santa and wouldn’t be back that year. The girls were happy he was gone.

Since than we haven’t had the elf back to our house, that is until this year.

The girls were helping me put up the Christmas decorations and found the elf packed away in a box with our Christmas stuff. They begged to have him out again and for us to re-read the story.

 My kids are older now, so my husband and I thought maybe this year we could have some fun with it. In school this year, both of my daughter’s teachers have an “Elf on the Shelf” in their classrooms. Their teachers told the students the elf would be watching the class, so the kids needed to be good.

My 8-year-old daughter became a little obsessed with our elf. At first she was skeptical about the elf being “real” because she told me he’s just a stuffed animal with a tag. But after her teacher brought out the elf in school and told the kids the elf was “real,” she wanted her elf at home to be “real” too. She decided she would leave her iPod out and ask him to make her a video. She had seen other videos online other elves had made. She also wrote him a note.

That night she couldn’t sleep. She kept waking up to see if he moved, to see if he wrote her a note back or if he did a video. She was a little afraid and excited at the same time. She hardly slept. The next morning, the elf was in a different spot and wrote her a note. She was so excited and couldn’t wait for the next night.

The next day and night were worse, as far as my daughter’s obsession with the elf. All she could think about was this elf and where was he going to move and how he moved.

If that wasn’t bad enough my 6-year-old daughter, who by the way didn’t really care one way or the other about the elf, played a trick the older one. She moved the elf during the day, wrote a note from the elf and even made a video with the elf moving. This really had older daughter nervous. Even though the younger daughter admitted to moving the elf, my 8-year-old couldn’t sleep that night.

Finally, my husband finally had to box up the elf and ship him back to the North Pole. Maybe we will try again next year. The girls kind of miss the elf, but for now they are glad he isn’t in the house.