For many years, I refused to partake in the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon. I like to keep Christmas simple so that we can honor the real meaning of the holiday. Ultimately, keeping the holiday simple never happens. There are parties to attend, cookies to make for neighbors, and presents to exchange. It wasn’t until my son asked why we didn’t have an elf when his friends did that I broke down and bought one.
The Elf on the Shelf is a sweet tradition that my kids get excited for as they anticipate the arrival of our elf. They loved being able to name their elf and they begin asking about “Jingle” in October. I’m all about traditions, but here’s the thing with the Elf on the Shelf it requires dedication. He needs to be moved nightly while under the cover of darkness so that his magic can be kept alive, and then there is the planning of what mischief the elf gets into for the next twenty-four days. I have already forgotten to move him this year and then I had to come up with an elaborate story as to why Jingle decided to stay in our stocking again.
The other problem with the Elf on the Shelf is that the story says that the elf can’t be touched. Try telling that to a 3-year-old. The first day he spotted Jingle he had him by the head and was shoving him in a dinosaur’s mouth much to the dismay of my 6-year-old, who knew if Jingle was touched that he would lose all his magic. This elf is seriously high maintenance! I was able to smooth the whole fiasco over by a call to Santa explaining the situation. This is a call I had to make at least three times the first day Jingle was there.
My ultimate goal for the holiday season is seeing my children happy at Christmastime. If that means making crazy schemes up for our Elf and getting up in the middle of the night after I forgot to hide him, I will gladly participate in this crazy tradition. However, I feel the need to say that it’s under duress!
