Several years ago, Memaw bought the boys an elf that is supposed to come and visit them during the holidays, do goofy things, leave them treats and generally make me stress out about coming up with clever ideas for 25 straight days. :) This year, the whole Elf-on-the-shelf thing has exploded. All the kids in the neighborhood have one, plus there’s the movie that was just on TV. I actually hadn’t thought about bringing out our elf (his name is Loady…he isn’t a true “elf on the shelf” variety elf….he’s bigger and stuffed), but all the boys’ friends kept asking if our elf had arrived yet. I decided to wait until after Brady’s birthday party this past Saturday (post to come soon). I was excited because the “true” Elf-on-the-shelf has very specific rules:

* Every night the elf goes to the North Pole to let Santa know if you’ve been nice that day

* He comes back in the morning and hides in a new place

* You can talk to him and give him messages for Santa, but you can’t touch him

 

These rules seem not to incorporate stuff that I have to do and plan so it sounded totally do-able. That is….until I started telling the boys about the elf who was on his way here. Logan freaked out. Like literally, I was sitting in the office below their bedroom on Saturday night when I heard him crying. When I went to see what was going on, I found him sitting up in bed sobbing. He told me that he doesn’t want an elf…that it creeps him out that he’ll be “watched” and could I please, please call Santa and ask him to not send us an elf. Oh my poor baby! I ended up having a little talk with him about how we didn’t have to get an elf who watches them…and how it’s a fun thing that mommies and daddies do. I told him about Loady who had been to our house in years past (not last year though so Logan didn’t remember him). Per his request, I went and found our elf, showed him that it was a stuffed toy and explained how I would “help” him do fun things for the boys. Logan said that would be ok…that it would be fun…and that he would allow it <—ok…not verbatim, but basically, he felt better and now I have an elf with no rules like “don’t touch” and “he just sits on a shelf”. Off I went, straight to www.pinterest.com for some ideas!!

 

Day 1: Location, downstairs bathroom sink. Loady’s note to the boys

Logan, Aiden and Brady: Hi! My name is Loady! I’m here to have fun with you until Christmas. Santa already knows what wonderful, kind, sweet and honest (ah-hem) boys you are so I wasn’t sent to watch you. Special boys like you get an elf who will just help make your lives fun for a while (note: see how I’m trying to talk up good behavior without actually saying that this guy is a Santa spy?) I hope you guys don’t mind, but I thought I would make myself at home. At the north pole, I don’t get much time off from toy making. I found these delicious “bubbles” in your cabinet and decided to have a bath.

 

I actually turned off the water to this sink on the off chance that someone turned it on without realizing that there was an elf in there.

 

Day 1 update: all the “bubbles” were eaten. And…since we don’t have the “no touch” rule…I literally lost the elf by the end of the day. I couldn’t find him anywhere!! Brian and I scoured the house. I knew Logan wasn’t asleep yet so I went upstairs last night to ask him if he knew where our elf was. Turns out they were playing hide and seek with him! Seriously?! He told me to look behind the big pillow on the chair in the front living room. That’s where he was! Sheesh.

Day 2 location – behind a bunch of flowers Brian brought me for my birthday last week. Loady’s note to the boys:

Logan, Aiden and Brady: Good morning! Last night I was missing home where everything is elf-sized. My favorite morning treat is donuts. the ones in your world are too big for me. I made some small ones I thought you might enjoy :) Happy Birthday Brady…hope you love the donuts – Loady

Another idea from pinterest. The original idea is to cover cheerios to look like donuts and put them in a match box. We happen to have some fruit loops (snuck into the shopping cart by Aiden last week). I covered one small batch in powdered sugar. For a second batch, I used a mini grater to made some chocolate dust out of a block of chocolate we have laying around. Finally, I melted some of that same chocolate and used sprinkles on a third batch. I made the box with my cricut. Logan doesn’t know it, but he got 2 more of each variety in his lunch as a treat today as well.

And now I have to come up with tomorrow’s idea. I think Loady is about to become mischievous! I’ve seen funny things like replacing the stockings on the mantle with a pair of underwear from each person’s drawer. One elf tee-peed the Xmas tree…another elf replaced all the pictures in the house with pictures of himself…thank goodness there are mega-creative people out there posting ideas I can use!!!! :)