Has the Elf on the Shelf Visited You Yet?



Here's Max, our Elf on the Shelf



December is by far the busiest month for us.  Not only do I have a full day dedicated to trimming the tree, but we also celebrate our anniversary, two of the kids' birthdays and of course, Christmas.  December seems to sneak up on me every year, no matter how much I plan and prepare for it.  This time of year I actually believe that my To Do List (yes, I write one everyday . . . I am a classic Type A personality) gets longer by the day not shorter.  So, I am going to be catching up today on all the things I have wanted to add to this blog.  Somehow at this moment, though I shouldn't say it, all three of my kids are playing nicely.  I hear no crying or arguing, so I am taking full advantage of that!

We have many traditions this time of year, but I have added a new one . . . The Elf on the Shelf.  Now this is such a wonderful idea and my kids have fully taken in our elf, which was named Max after the dog in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Max appeared on our cabinet shelf last week with a book giving us all the information to make sure we take good care of him.

The first thing we had to do was give him a name.  Joey suggested we name him Joey, which then made Hayley suggest we name him Hayley.  Emily, at first thought we should name him Mater, since there has been so much talk of Mater with my son's upcoming Mater themed birthday, but then suggested Max, her favorite dog.  Everyone agreed Max was a great name.  Once we gave him his name, according to the book, he could begin his mission for Santa.  He watches over the kids each day, then reports to Santa each night on their behavior.  Every morning he reappears in a new spot somewhere in the house where he can watch over the kids.  Today he has hidden in our Christmas tree, though yesterday he was inside our clock and the day before that he was sitting on our wreath.  There are very specific directions about not touching Max because that makes his magic disappear.  Without magic he can't fly to Santa and report on all the good things they have been doing around the house.  My children are very aware of this and make sure any visitors that stop by know that they absolutely cannot touch Max.

Max has really helped out around here because I hear a lot of talk between my kids, ages 5, 4, and 3 about how Max can see them.  Yesterday, Emily wouldn't eat her dinner and Joey said, "I hope Max doesn't tell Santa that you won't eat your dinner."  What do you know?  Emily ate every bite of her dinner.  It makes me wonder if there are elves for other seasons too?? :-) Max has become a great helper for controlling behaviors without me even having to say a word.  Now he isn't a miracle worker and I still need to give reminders about what we should and shouldn't do, but it is nice to hear the kids reminding each other about how they should behave so Max won't tell Santa.  Every morning they race downstairs to find him in his new spot and excitedly let me know where he has appeared. 

If you are looking to add something new to your holiday season, I highly recommend "requesting" Santa send you an Elf to visit your home.  I love listening to my kids whisper things to him, so that he will tell Santa.  I think the three of them will be very sad when Max leaves on Christmas Eve, but he promises to return next year right after Thanksgiving!