It’s the holiday season, that time of year when children wonder in at awe at Santa, Rudolph, sugar plum fairies, Frosty the Snowman, and in the case of one recent addition to our household – the Elf on the Shelf.
If you didn’t grow up with the Elf on the Shelf, don’t be alarmed. The story didn’t become a phenomenon until 2005, when author Carol Aebersold and her daughter published their first book, appropriately titled The Elf on the Shelf. The book tells of Santa Claus and his legion of “spy elves,” who enter the homes of children in the month of December to observe their behavior. Each night, the elf flies home to Santa with a detailed and thorough debriefing to inform Santa of the children’s deeds. The elf returns by the next morning, finding a new place in the home to perch and act as a festive sort of nanny-cam for Santa.
The book comes with a little elf doll who fits perfectly in any nook or cranny. Each night, once the kids go to bed, mom and dad make it a point to remember to move the little elf to a new location. (More on that, later.)
Parents far more crafty and creative than I have resorted to setting up elaborate Elf on the Shelf dioramas. Those who want to emphasize the elf’s master spy capabilities might set him up zip-lining across the living room on a candy cane, while more trouble-making elves find themselves taking a soak in a ‘bathtub’ (the sink) full of marshmallows. I wonder….who tells Santa when the elves are the ones misbehaving? I am amazed at the ideas and the effort some parents expend on this elfin evening chore.
As for me, on the very first morning of our Elf on the Shelf tradition, I forgot to move the little guy. My daughters were quite dismayed but I managed a plausible excuse. (I just hope the elf didn’t tattle to Santa!) The very next morning, I realized that I’d forgotten to move our elf once again, resulting in a rapid scramble to deploy Santa’s tiny spy to a new location before the girls discovered him. Forget creativity, I need to set a nightly cell phone reminder just to remember to move the elfin thing, or I’m going to make the naughty list for sure!
It’s a lot of work. As a parent, the good part about playing Santa is that it’s just one night of work, and you get milk and cookies out of the deal. But, even though I refer him in my mind as “that damn elf”, I do admit the little guy is a great way to make holiday magic for the kids throughout the entire month. It’s all worth it in the mornings when my 5-year-old, Chloe, awakes eager to find the elf’s new hiding spot. When she finds him, her face lights up just like a Christmas tree.
Remember, the elf is watching this weekend!
~Bob
