Traditions

Just as school uniforms are a tradition found at many schools, families fill their holiday season with many traditions in hopes to keep the magic alive for the younger generations. Some Christmas traditions can be leaving cookies out for Santa, going to church on Christmas Eve, or even putting out homemade reindeer food because we all know Rudolph and his crew work so hard and need a treat too.

The holidays can also include a magical little elf who is the eyes and ears for Santa. The Elf on the Shelf is a fairly new tradition born in 2004 by authors Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell. The Elf on the Shelf is a story of elves who hide in homes watching over children only during the Christmas season. Each night when children go to bed, the elves return to the North Pole to report to Santa all things good and bad. After the elves report back to their assigned homes, they hide and the children find them in a different location in the home creating a fun game of hide and seek each morning.

In the book, it explains how the elves get their special magic once the child names them. And, they can possibly lose their magic if touched.

Kids wake up bright-eyed and excited to see what antic their elf has been up to in the middle of the night. Some elves like to wrap the toilet in toilet paper, while others enjoy writing on mirrors with shaving crème. The possibilities of the elf’s tricks are endless and totally up to the imagination and personality of your elf.

As parents, we sometimes get a little fed up with the elf’s messes and mischief. But, as we see the sparkle and wonder in our children’s eyes as they search for their elf, their joy helps put everything all back into perspective. Appreciate these moments, enjoy your family traditions, and take it all in for they go by way too fast.