Every year for the last 3 years a wonderful and delightful little red girl visits my home for 24 days! At first I was not going to participate, the trend had been around for a year or two before.
But how could the creative side in me resist? I decided to unleash my inner desires and one evening my 3yr old heard the door bell ring and as usual came barrelling out to be the first to answer. Since then our new friend Lilly has challenged me to stay on top of my toes!
I read so many blogs and when it comes to this sometimes mischevious and sometimes annoying tradition many moms are irritated. So I will put my disclaimer here:
YES having an elf is a LOT of work for the parent! Yes your elf may make messes, cause kids to rise early, or not work for changing bad behaviours!
But that being said, I will Elf and continue to Elf as long as I can keep my kids believing in her magic!
Why I Elf
Lying in my bed trying to catch any extra seconds of sleep I can with my ridiculously early risers I hear the pitter patter of little feet scampering everywhere around my home, whispering to each other where could she be? Blinded by the lights of every room being turned on to help them see my girls now 6 & 3 are desperate to find their Lilly. When they do they are so excited, she moved (magical flying powers teach them to think anything is possible), she left them a note (she’s our friend – mom please read it to me at 5:45am??) there is a gift (small and affordable) we created ways for Lilly to bring us our otherwise forgotten Christmas traditions like certain movies, gingerbread houses, countdown calendars and decorating days. Lilly also brings things that teach us about the season like giving to others. She has gathered supplies around our house so we could make gifts and cards for our friends and family.
Sometimes Lilly is just down right fun! She is found in all sorts of places doing all sorts of things (thanks to Pinterest. Search #elfontheshelf) and not only will you find my ideas but millions of others.
So what happens if your Elf is touched?
There are a couple of solutions, but our go to is this YouTube video
If your kids don’t respond with good behaviour what can you do?
Here is a printable Elf report:
All in all Christmas is my favourite time of year and the Magic of Christmas is something that won’t last forever. The twinkle in their eyes, the joy in their tiny voices, and the excitement in their steps will soon fade and I want to bottle all these joyous times up in my memory bank! So I Elf! You can follow me December 1-24 on Instagram www.instagram.com/busycareermoms for ideas and check out the album below for my past Elf antics!
May the magic of Christmas be with you all year
BusyCareerMoms