Elf on the Shelf

It has been many years since Will believed in Santa.  And actually, we never really made a big deal about Santa to Mikey. It seemed so abstract and I figured there was no need to encourage sitting on a stranger’s lap…when you’re born in NY like me, you get a healthy dose of skepticism and sarcasm at birth…anyway…

Some families use the Elf on the Shelf as a way to remind kids that Santa knows if they’re being naughty or nice. The parents move the elf every night, putting him in fun and creative poses/situations and the kids know he’s watching them for Santa. We did not put anywhere near this level of pressure on ourselves. We just put him in different funny situations whenever I had time.  At first, I did it as a fun distraction for the kids. Later, I would sometimes do it. Will would sometimes do it. Some years, our elf stayed in the same place all season. 

Mikey did think it was funny and he included it in his journal, so I am obliged to tell you that we did (and do) have an Elf on the Shelf. That said, we did it in the least pressure-filled, most fun and relaxed way possible. In fact, there are a zillion Elf on the Shelf ideas online so if you want to do it, you don’t even need to spend any time really thinking about it.

Any accessories we have are ones I purchased after the holiday season when they were on sale.  My point remains, as always, only do this if it is something that would be fun for you and your kids.  No need to add something extra to the list if you’re already overwhelmed. 

One Note:

For those who are new to the blog, Mikey could write for himself, but some days he asked me to write for him and since asking for what he wants is challenging for him, when he asked, I wrote for him. That’s why today’s entry is in my handwriting. The last sentence was probably the result of me asking Mikey how the elf was feeling. Mikey said, ‘hungry’ so that’s what we wrote.