Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas. Today the Tradition we are featuring is Elf on the Shelf.
Elf on the Shelf, you can love it or hate it, but in this house we do it. Back in 2013 my son had just started JK, and everyone else at school was talking about their elves, I wasn't fully committed to the idea but I found a cute little stuffed Elf at our local dollar store and that was going to be our Elf. We had that Elf for about a week before it was destroyed.
At the time I was doing Home Daycare and one of the children I was looking after sadly grabbed the Elf and ripped it's arm and head off. My son, who was already devastated that the Christmas Magic was gone, was then told that Santa wasn't real. (This Child had already been problematic and it was the final straw, I stopped giving care 2 weeks later). My son was in tears and was crushed.
It was such a low blow. I was crushed for my kid. All this happened just before going to school that morning. He was only 3 years old. I couldn't let his Christmas spirit be beat. With the help of a great friend (who is sadly now no longer with us) he made a Santa Video for my son to watch when he got home from school. My mother in law was a great big help and picked up the plush version of Elf on the Shelf and had it delivered here floating in a basket held by helium balloons. The Christmas Magic had been restored and my son's eyes filled with Joy as he watched his Christmas Video and met our new Elf.
When you have kids you want to do everything in your power to protect their innocence and keep them happy. Elf on the Shelf was my ticket that day, and I took it.
We kept our plush Elf for the remainder of that Season. Luckily my Mother found the official Elf on the Shelf after Christmas for really cheap and picked it up for us.
So in 2014 we were introduced to our New Elf on The Shelf. Welcome Ninja. This is what my son called him. That first year I stressed over what to do, it would be bed time and I would be trying to figure out what to do with that Damn Elf. The past couple of years I have been a little more on top of it. I started planning out ideas using this free printable Calendar. Free E.O.S Planning Calendar
My kids love getting up in the morning and running around looking for the Elf. Because my little guy still tries to get to the Elf, I try to keep him out of reach. To try and combat this we Adopted an Elf Pet, a Reindeer. The Elf Pet is meant for the Kids to hold. (The purpose is for the Spirit of Christmas to be transferred to Santa's Sleigh) So at night my oldest cuddles with Our Reindeer "Martial" like Martial Arts (Named so because our Elf is named Ninja and Ninjas do Martial Arts) and during the Day my youngest gets to cuddle with and play with him, and it doesn't take away the Christmas Magic from our Elf.
So for now I'm the one behind our Elf on the Shelf, but I know there will be a time that my oldest doesn't believe in the Magic of Christmas anymore, he can then take the reins. I have years of Elf on the Shelf ahead of me, there's no turning back now.
For more Ideas, see my blog post The Elf Returns.
Do you do Elf on the Shelf with your Kids? What are the Craziest things your Elf Has Done?
~Mommy Dearest
Elf on the Shelf, you can love it or hate it, but in this house we do it. Back in 2013 my son had just started JK, and everyone else at school was talking about their elves, I wasn't fully committed to the idea but I found a cute little stuffed Elf at our local dollar store and that was going to be our Elf. We had that Elf for about a week before it was destroyed.
At the time I was doing Home Daycare and one of the children I was looking after sadly grabbed the Elf and ripped it's arm and head off. My son, who was already devastated that the Christmas Magic was gone, was then told that Santa wasn't real. (This Child had already been problematic and it was the final straw, I stopped giving care 2 weeks later). My son was in tears and was crushed.
It was such a low blow. I was crushed for my kid. All this happened just before going to school that morning. He was only 3 years old. I couldn't let his Christmas spirit be beat. With the help of a great friend (who is sadly now no longer with us) he made a Santa Video for my son to watch when he got home from school. My mother in law was a great big help and picked up the plush version of Elf on the Shelf and had it delivered here floating in a basket held by helium balloons. The Christmas Magic had been restored and my son's eyes filled with Joy as he watched his Christmas Video and met our new Elf. When you have kids you want to do everything in your power to protect their innocence and keep them happy. Elf on the Shelf was my ticket that day, and I took it.
We kept our plush Elf for the remainder of that Season. Luckily my Mother found the official Elf on the Shelf after Christmas for really cheap and picked it up for us.
So in 2014 we were introduced to our New Elf on The Shelf. Welcome Ninja. This is what my son called him. That first year I stressed over what to do, it would be bed time and I would be trying to figure out what to do with that Damn Elf. The past couple of years I have been a little more on top of it. I started planning out ideas using this free printable Calendar. Free E.O.S Planning Calendar
My kids love getting up in the morning and running around looking for the Elf. Because my little guy still tries to get to the Elf, I try to keep him out of reach. To try and combat this we Adopted an Elf Pet, a Reindeer. The Elf Pet is meant for the Kids to hold. (The purpose is for the Spirit of Christmas to be transferred to Santa's Sleigh) So at night my oldest cuddles with Our Reindeer "Martial" like Martial Arts (Named so because our Elf is named Ninja and Ninjas do Martial Arts) and during the Day my youngest gets to cuddle with and play with him, and it doesn't take away the Christmas Magic from our Elf. So for now I'm the one behind our Elf on the Shelf, but I know there will be a time that my oldest doesn't believe in the Magic of Christmas anymore, he can then take the reins. I have years of Elf on the Shelf ahead of me, there's no turning back now.
For more Ideas, see my blog post The Elf Returns.
Do you do Elf on the Shelf with your Kids? What are the Craziest things your Elf Has Done?
~Mommy Dearest
How adorable! I have never heard of the Elf on the Shelf until recently - I am not from the US, so we had completely different traditions, which I continued with my children. But I love it!
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