The Elves are Watching
When we were little my mom would say,
"You better be good, the elves are watching."
Come to find out, they were.
Last Sunday before church I was driving home from a meeting and called Nick on my cell to see if the kids were dressed and ready to go. "No they're not ready! There's been a crisis--Natalie found the elves in your sewing room closet and the kids are going nuts!"
I came home to four confused kids and two little elves peeking down from the closet shelf. Nat: "I'm so sorry Mom, I shouldn't have moved them I KNOW that's against the rules but WHAT are they doing here?"
A little history...
Four years ago, Santa sent us our first elf. Frickle appeared one morning with a tiny letter from Santa rolled up in his arms, detailing the do's and the don'ts of caring for one of his elves. Really it was very simple. Don't touch or move the elf and write him lots of letters filled with all kinds of questions. Oh yes, and he can only move when children aren't looking. Voila! Christmas magic!
FRICKLE 2004
GOLDIE 2005
LACEY (our first girl!) 2006
LOLLEY 2007
Countless letters, cookies, bowls of porridge (with LOTS of sugar), candies, gifts and pictures have been left for these little guests each December. And you can't imagine all the wonderful and surprising things we've learned about the North Pole throughout the years. Who would've ever guessed that elves live to be over a thousand years old by eating only candy and sweets?Or, that an elf can travel to the North Pole and back all in one night on the wing of a Snow Goose. And to add to the magic, every morning the elf is in a different spot and you have to find him to get your letter.
Back to Christmas in June
As you can see, the kids got busy leaving treats and writing letters, eagerly awaiting the reason the elves appeared in summer. As it turns out, Lolley lost a very important golden key somewhere in our house last Christmas. The key opens the treasure box that holds all of Santa's secret blueprints for building toys. Until that key is found, there will be no toy building in the North Pole. So for the past three weeks, Lolley and Frickle have been frantically searching our house in secret, that is, until Natalie surprised them in the closet last Sunday. Those poor elves, probably the last thing they want to do is answer a million questions from little people this time of year. Well, I guess that's what they get...for not hiding a little better!
My sister tells me my children will be traumatized one day when they,
well you know....
leave home and the elves don't follow them to college.
Is this tradition NAUGHTY or NICE?
10 comments:
I absolutely LOVE this tradition! This is something I am definitely doing with my kids, no question. It brings the innocense and excitement back into Christmas for kids. I feel like they would appreciate their gifts even that much more. Great cover up, I was EXTREMELY frightened thinking that them finding it blew the cover!
One day they will be so sad that this was fake, but so thankful for the amazing memories and feelings they got from it.
R-R-R-Rock on!
first of all, frickle is really cute. the other ones, especially goldie, are freakishly scary, and if i were your kids i wouldn't be able to sleep at night in fear of the elves running around my house in the night. however, i think it is so cute and i was laughing so hard when i clicked on the picture and i could read the letter to frickle. but you have a very wild imagination and i'm impressed you can think up these things!
Great post! It's fun to see the old friends.
Nice cover. I am so impressed that you could think of a story so quickly. We should remember that I have actually been lucky enough to see the elves move. Don't worry about your kids when they are adults, just start saving for counseling right now:)
I Love this idea!! Although, I agree with everyone that the elves are a little freaky looking. And the fact that they only move at night would mean that we would have the possibility of sleepless nights. For myself I mean! Your 2 female elves Goldie and Lacey remind me of a madame alexander doll my mom use to have in the closet. One of those dolls that when you lay them down the eyes would close. She was about 3 ft tall and I always had nightmares that she would come out of the closet and if you layed her down her eyes would stay open. Yeah, I am a freak. Ann has the exact same doll and they used it for a Halloween prop for a party they had a long time ago. Yeah, that was scary. They put it down in the potato cellar down in the ground and then when everyone was down in the ground, her father in law started up the weed wacker in a gillly suit while one person shown a flashlight on the freaky doll. Scared the tooties out of me!
Anyway, long story short, make sure the children love the elves or you may want seek counseling when they are older. There is nothing wrong with a little Christmas magic! Don't be surprised if I steal your idea, but with something a little more calming and cute for my sanity.
-Suzanne
How creative are you? I Love traditions! ( And unique ones at that! ) We have a Valentine Man that comes to our home, and some of our relatives homes. My 7 year old thought he was like Santa and visited everyone. She came home confused oneday and asked me why he didn't go to other peoples houses?
It's those surprising questions that make you have to be even MORE creative!
Who says that the elves can't follow them to college and maybe even when they have their own homes oneday??
read the letters they write. they have already reached traumatized levels. nicholas needs to find out soon or he will not be able to step foot into Darnestown elem next year. Santa is one thing but elves flying around on snow geese!! Come on, borderline psycho if you ask me.
Now you have Johnny and George running around the house looking for their elves. The other day George and Johnny yelled for Kelley and I to come and help the toilet bowl cleaner container out of the bucket in the hall closet. They thought the little red tip that sprays the cleaner under the rim of the toilet bowl was Lex's elf hat. Thanks Natalie...
I think it's an awesome tradition. I DO however think that nicholas should know the truth. Ten is getting a little too old if you ask me. That's old enough that kids will really be mean. Kinda like i was to other kids when i was his age. BUT!!! Let's not forget the kid in my SENIOR english class who 100% believed that santa was real until his JUNIOR YEAR of high school! You think i'm lying? Well....i guess you just have to believe me. But i absolutely CANNOT BELIEVE his horrible parents let him believe that long! That's just my opinion though. I think you should break the news to him after this christmas.
oh that is awesome.. what a fun mom you are! my kids don't even believe in santa..how fun for all of you.. I vote NICE!
oh, I am loving this and am deeply sad that elves don't come visit me!! :) but this makes me smile
~Jane Parise~
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