Elf on a Shelf

Last year, Dax got an Elf on the Shelf as one of his Christmas presents. The little elf comes with a storybook, which explains that Santa sent him to watch everything and report back to the North Pole every night. It is intended to add some mystery to the season and to help ensure good behavior leading up to Christmas.

I was undecided about this little elf. As a teacher, I am very familiar with the extra wiggles and lack of self-control that can accompany the excitement of the holidays. I am also interested in almost anything that can add to the magic of Christmas. But something didn't feel quite right. I don't want Dax to behave because an elf is watching; he should behave because that is the expectation all the time. And isn't a month's worth of searching for the elf an excessive amount of Santa when we want Dax to learn about Jesus' birth?

In searching, I found that Elf on the Shelf is all over Pinterest. Parents out there have found so many creative (elf flying in a remote-controlled helicopter), hilarious (elf in the "hot tub" with other action figures), and naughty (elf found after having tp'd the Christmas tree) ways to display the elf each morning. Wait, what? Naughty? I was even less enthusiastic about motivating Dax to behave by using a mischievous little elf.

So, what to do? Jake and I decided that we would hide the elf every night for Dax to find each morning, but skip the book. We thought of how excited he was about the joker game this summer and decided I Spy was an appropriate game for Elf on the Shelf without putting too much emphasis on it. Then I read this blog and everything clicked.

Instead of sharing the Elf on the Shelf story, I wrote a letter to Dax from Santa. The letter explained that his elf was visiting our house this Christmas to remind Dax to be kind, help other people, and always remember that God loves him. Denise, Dax's amazing daycare provider, shared a Bible verse for every day that they will be revealing in an Advent calendar at daycare so Dax's elf will also be holding that each day to reinforce what he learns with her. We can not only share the magic of Santa, but also share the real reason for the season in a fun way every single day.

Today, Dax found his Elf on the Shelf. He walked right past it at first and was busy hanging a new ornament on the tree, but once he spotted the little guy, he could not get enough. He decided to name it Superman (after Mommy vetoed both "Daddy" and "Mommy" as names) and played with it all morning. It will be fun to see his reaction to the new hiding place each day. Stay tuned for the cutest elf moments this season.