The Elf on Our Shelf

Do you elf?

Although we cannot touch it with a ten foot candy cane in our own classroom, we have had a little North Pole friend visit our homes each holiday season for a few years now. It was a brilliant idea when the kids were younger…So innocent and fun. Now, it’s stressful. Always wondering IF the elf moved. Waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats trying to remember IF the elf moved. If you’re a parent who began this GLORIOUS tradition, you understand exactly what we’re talking about….But, this really isn’t about us. It is about the joy and love this little elf brings.

Meet Holly.

She’s a tough little elf.

And, pretty darn clever too.

Last year, all that arrived was her new skirt and a note.

Wow, Miss Thang drives a hard bargain in our home…

But, it worked.

Most of the time we just hover around Holly wishing we could touch her just once. But, we can’t.

She would lose her magic and the kids would lose their marbles.

If you’re a parent who began this GLORIOUS tradition, you understand
exactly what we’re talking about….But, this really isn’t about us. It
is about the joy and love this little elf brings.

She’s from the North Pole, so we’ve found her freezing in our freezer snuggling with ice cubes.

We’ve made beds for her, complete with personalized post-it note and bandana rugs.

She’s been trapped in an “Elf Globe” a few times with marshmallow snow and dry erase S.O.S. notes on the outside (Yep dry erase marker writes on glass…The elves told us so.)

She’s broken her arm at the same time they’ve broken their arm, and reassured them that they would be okay.

She also let their mom know that there was a stowaway pumpkin from October hiding out in the dollhouse in December. If she could’ve plugged her nose, she would’ve, but you know broken arm and all…

She’s been caught messing with our Christmas decor and getting a bear hug from our Santa.

But, probably our most favorite elf trick to date was the morning we awoke to our very own Elves R Us store right on their bedroom floor!

No matter what she’s done, where she’s been, or how absolutely exhausted the parents of the home get trying to keep up with this little elf, it has brought more love and joy than we could’ve ever imagined.