December is such a fun month for us, full of joy, family gatherings and traditions that make it even more fun.
It is also the month when so many parents have fun with the "Elf on the Shelf" and I am not ashamed to say that I am one of those parents. I am THAT mom who puts out the little elf and moves it around every night so my kids get up and look for it all excited.
I personally think it is such a FUN thing to do and when I see my girls' faces light up when they find what the elf has been up to, I just know it is the right thing for us.
The other day our 8 year old neighbor came over and decided that it was a good idea to grab Mama Mia (that's our elf's name!)...as she held the little plush elf and started inspecting it, Olivia looked at her petrified and started sobbing..she kept saying "her magic is gone! she will not come back!". I joined her in panic too and said to her "let's do some research...there's gotta to be SOMETHING we can do to save her!". After a few Google searches we came up with a solution... "let's sprinkle some cinnamon around her" I said, since that seemed to be the trick to bring the elf's magic back. We laid her down in a blanket and sprinkled cinnamon around it and all was right in Olivia's world!
The next morning we found Mama Mia sitting in our kitchen next to a bunch of medicine bottles, a bandaid on her leg and a handwritten letter that said "Girls, I'm feeling much better today! Please try not to touch me, remember my magic can go away if you do. I love you both!". As Olivia finished reading her letter, she turned around and with great conviction she yelled "It worked! Her magic is back!"; she then hugged her sister who seemed to be as overjoyed as she was and they both said "Thank God!". As silly as it may sound, that was such a great moment for me.. to see the look on my daughter's face and the joy she feels by thinking that silly elf is real is just priceless and that's why I love this "tradition".
Do I need an elf for my kids to behave? No! Do I go out of my way to make elf adventures that blow my kids' minds? Absolutely not! But what if I did? Who cares? Is it a pain for me to move the elf around every night? Not at all! Do I LOVE all of it and wish I could do it all year round? YES!
But still, even with all the joy that so many parents feel while giving life to this elf doll, there are so many haters and "grinches" that take to the internet to say how dumb it is to play along. I read this post from a blogger who wrote about how much she "hated" the Elf and how she was resentful of whoever came up with this idea. And just like that one, there are so many other posts and publications by people who just despise the "Elf on the Shelf".. But "Why?" I ask myself, why are there so many people who go through life criticizing what others do? What if there are mothers who like to make the elf fantasy so big that they spend hours at night planning where the elf will show up the next morning? Someone made millions selling this "Elf on the Shelf".. so what? Who cares if you think the elf is silly? Is someone forcing you to buy it? I personally think it's even sillier to resent it... You don't like it? Then don't do it but please let us "Elf on the Shelf" lovers have fun with our kids and post a gazillion pictures on the internet if we feel like it.
Christmas is about having fun, being joyful and making memories and with God as my witness I am damn sure that my kids will forever cherish the memories they are making with Mama Mia and the day she no longer comes to our house will be the day where my kids no longer believe in magic..and that day, my friends, will be a very sad one for me!
So for now, I will play along with "Elf on the Shelf" and I will soak in all the smiles that it brings to our house and our family!...and I don't care what anybody else thinks...haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate!!!
ELF ON!!!!!!!!!!
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